Brussels, 07/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - Tunisia's external debt, particularly to the EU, is the subject of debate in Tunis. The subject is currently taking on considerable scale since the recent speech by the prime minister, Mehdi Jomâa, which highlighted the state's inability to respond to growing social demand. "With the state budget showing a financial gulf, not a word has been said about the debt audit", a local newspaper wrote (our translation), summing up a subject which has become highly politically sensitive.
Tunisian economists and political parties were already worried, from the start of the "revolution" of January 2011, about the state of Tunisian debt to the EU and its member states, a concern which was relayed to the European Parliament by MEP Eva Joly (EELV, France). The recent granting of financial support of 300 million euros, not - as is usually the case - in the form of a gift, but a loan (under conditions which have not been made public) adds to this concern.
A collective called "Auditons les Créances Européennes envers la Tunisie" (Let's Audit Tunisia's Debt) has just been set up in Tunis. Its aim is to provide a clear figure of this debt, which has been increasingly politically decried. T his civil society association believes that "auditing the debt will allow us to highlight the schizophrenia and duplicity" prevailing among the partners, who "support democracy in Tunisia with one hand and destroy it with the other". The association points out that "servicing the debt is the largest post in Tunisia's budget (and) is putting the brakes on development". It intends to adopt a "powerful citizens' tool, allowing us to untangle such subtle mechanisms as non-productive loans which can therefore not be paid back" and which would take the shape of "illegitimate debts".
The academic Mustapha Stambouli commented that "Tunisia crossed the red line in terms of external state indebtedness" late last year, when the debt already stood at 40 billion dinars (18 billion euros), or 51.1% of GDP, above what is considered to be the upper limit (50%). "We are passing the impassable (…). The cost of the debt has become prohibitive, going beyond the ability of our country to pay it back". (FB)