Brussels, 13/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 13 March, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle began a two-day visit to Tunis. His visit could be seen as a “clarification mission”, given that serious doubts in Tunisia appear afoot, regarding the scale and quality of EU support to this country and its new democracy. EU support has fallen below expectations. Tunisians have been extremely vexed to see the support mobilised around the Ukrainian revolt and what they interpret as “double standards”. Tunisia also believes that it deserves a serious “helping hand” to help it get out of the rut it finds itself in.
The EU institutions assert that the EU is first of all determined to “help Tunisia transform the legitimate expectations of its people into concrete results” and that the EU's determination to do this would involve “reassuring its Tunisian partners with regard to the current security and employment challenges” facing them.
Füle's visit to the country is his fifth and will have proved opportune if it helps mitigate the ill-feeling in the country and provide reassurances in this connection. Over the past few weeks, the country's media has accused Europe of being “mean” in the amount of financial support offered, despite having promised “deserving” Mediterranean countries (democratically evolving with an increased role given to civil society) substantial assistance. Tunisia's new prime minister, Mehdi Jomaa, repeated the fact that his country needed a healthy budgetary “helping hand” and underlined the crippling rates of debt (servicing the debt accounts for more than half of the country's GNP). According to a number of other established opinions in Tunis, debt could also increase due the fact that the recently announced aid from the EU will be in the form of loans (€300 million).
The EU is also perceived as seeking to involve the country in “strategic” negotiations (on trade, services, air transport and mobility) despite the fact that the country is in a phase of institutional instability and waiting for the next elections to take place - which are certainly going to be held at the end of this year. Without wishing to cast any doubts on these objectives, Tunisia, as an advanced status candidate country, considers that these negotiations are currently inopportune.
Nonetheless, according to authorised sources in Brussels, all this is due to a misunderstanding that Füle is eager to lay to rest during his meetings - particularly those with the new prime minister and, above all, with civil society. Civil society latter is at the cutting edge of the increasing criticism directed at the EU. Initial clarification will be given to explain that European assistance will not be limited to the €300 million in macro-economic aid (support for the balance of payments) and that this will not replace the more traditional aid provided. This will continue to be granted in a non-reimbursable form (without therefore containing the risk of increasing the debt). This will be in the order of €445 million for the total 2011-2013 period (€150 million in 2011, €160 million in 2012 and €135 million in 2013). EU aid will be divided in the following way: €22 million for education and social affairs; €218 million for development projects and economic governance band €205 million for civil society projects. An additional €39.7 million is planned under thematic financial instruments such as human rights, democracy and youth. Electoral support has also been announced. Nonetheless, it still remains to be known what this future aid will consist of (budgetary and donations). This stood at €330 million for the 2007-2010 period. It should also be pointed out that support has been indirectly provided through the EIB and the EBRD (now operational in the country), in the form of loans at market lending rates. Nonetheless, on the whole, Tunisians believe that the promises made at the Deauville (G8) meeting were nothing other than hot air.
The most urgent task will, above all, involve clarifying the scoreboard and responding to the disappointment expressed in Tunis. It will also be necessary to clarify the relationship with the EU and how it actually functions, which is unclear - ranging from a European polyphony (with the Commission's “customary” services and the less typical services from the EU Special Envoy, which creates the feeling that it is unwelcomingly seeking to involve itself in the political management of the country - see EUROPE 10933) to an EU Representation in the country, which has been criticised in Tunis because it is perceived as lacking in transparency when it comes to dealing with the country's different living forces. These are all the different clouds that have accumulated, which the commissioner will have to help dissipate, whilst waiting for the whole dossier to be put on the table at the next Association Council session in April. (FB)