Tunis, 18/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Tunisian Prime Minister has thanked the EU for its support in setting programmes in place for employment in his country in response to the “clear message of the revolution”, which has brought with it demand for jobs.
This forcefully expressed need has presented Tunisia with an enormous challenge. However, he said, “the efforts required exceed the capacity of the states” suffering under the political upheaval throughout the Mediterranean region, not least among them Tunisia, where there was considerable civil unrest on the very day on which Ali Laarayedh was opening the Euro-Mediterranean conference on employment and territorial development organised by the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean). All of the democratic parties are calling for the prime minister to stand down and a government of “national salvation” appointed. The prime minister has been accused of being unable to deal with the developing terrorist threat in the country and particularly on its borders, and also of having failed to respond to social expectations. He has come in for strong criticism for failing to respond to the demand for jobs for young people, particularly graduates, and the opening-up of regions neglected by former regimes.
The conference allowed him to send out a message to jobseekers: “Individuals must be given incentives to create their own jobs, by giving them easier access to credit” without excessive administrative obstructions. There is also a need to speed up the reforms, particularly with the revision of the investment code, offering a guarantee of good governance and promoting growth-bearing sectors. The EU has its part to play in this, he said, calling for a Euro-Mediterranean employment strategy to be drafted.
In response, the European special envoy for the region, Bernardino Leon, recalled the support programmes set in place from Brussels. The EU plans to be the “most solid partner, but also the most demanding one when it comes to the democratic transitions” underway. Europe's economic support also has a political dimension, said Leon. “In order to talk jobs, we have to talk politics”, he said, by way of explanation of the fact that the EU expects the Tunisian government to set its house in order. We will not stint with our investments, he said, if these efforts come to fruition. Leon pointed out that the EU has doubled its aid to Tunisia since 2011, now standing at €400 million in direct support, €80 million of which is earmarked for “less-favoured areas”, on top of initiatives to boost youth employment, training and agriculture.
The Moroccan minister highlighted another element to be taken into account and which is a result of the “contamination of the real economy by the financial speculation economy” since 2008. A “collective responsibility” arises from this, he said. The Jordanian minister and joint president of the UfM, Ibrahim Seif, also stressed the scale of the efforts to be carried out in his country and in the entire region, going on to point out the additional challenge for his country of welcoming thousands of Syrian refugees onto its soil and employment market. The Palestinian minister, Ahmad Majdalani, spoke of how hard it is to ensure that employment is in a healthy state in a territory under occupation and with persistent obstacles and obstructions. During his speech at the inaugural session, the secretary general of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) reported back on cooperation projects currently being defined with the EU in the framework of the Euro-Maghreb strategy decided upon by the European Commission.
Closing the session, the secretary general of the UfM, Fathallah Sijilmassi, described the efforts made by his institution to make money available to fund the projects chosen by the member countries. “The problem for the region is that our main partner is experiencing an economic crisis”, he said, in reference to the restrictions decided upon in Brussels.
The rest of the day was due to conclude with a debate on “employability strategies”, “intermediation”, in other words ensuring reconciliation between supply and demand on the employment market, and adapting training to respond to expectations. (FB/transl.fl)