Brussels, 26/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 25 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini again reaffirmed - to MEPs who were meeting in a mini-session in Brussels - the EU's full support to Tunisia, which has been hit by terrorism (the Bardo Museum attack) and the impact of the Libyan crisis. Firm support has been pledged to strengthen Tunisia's security. The country's merits of pursuing the route of democracy in its region were praised both by Mogherini and the MEPs taking part in the debate. For the current phase, European support will first go to the fight against terrorism - but this will not resolve all the problems the country is facing, Mogherini reiterated.
Tunisia is “a special neighbour which shows that democracy has a future in the region” but the country remains “fragile”, Mogherini stated, mentioning the sizeable challenges Tunisia is facing (decline in economic activity, unemployment and poverty in some regions, regional imbalance, and economic despair from its youth who nevertheless have faith in democracy). This is “an unfinished democratic process” and the EU does not intend to let go of Tunisia midstream. MEPs taking part in the debate were unanimous in asking the EU not to measure its support. Mogherini swept aside criticism on the imbalance of the EU's aid between Tunisia and Ukraine, stating that the financial contribution to the countries of the southern Mediterranean is - contrary to widespread opinion - above that given to the countries to the east of Europe by “a proportion of two thirds to one third”. Mogherini reiterated the invitation to Tunisia to negotiate an agreement on “deep trade” (deep and comprehensive free trade agreement - DCFTA) and to take advantage of the offer of participating in EU programmes (a memorandum of understanding was signed on this on 17 March).
At the start of the session, which was also attended by European Council President Donald Tusk, a minute's silence was observed both for the victims of the plane crash in France and for the victims of the attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis. During the discussion that followed Tusk's presentation of the recent European Council conclusions, Tusk stated that he will soon visit Tunisia with Mogherini. Mogherini has now confirmed this visit for Tuesday 31 March - two days after the big international march in the streets of Tunisia's capital, which will be attended by France's President François Hollande.
During the specific discussions on Tunisia, Mogherini highlighted the fight against terrorism and the diplomatic action being taken for a “peaceful solution” in Libya, which is also favoured by the Tunisians as well as the Europeans and countries of the region. As regards the border control between Tunisia and Libya to which the EU intends to contribute through training and assistance, Mogherini said that those Tunisians who had been questioned wanted to keep these borders open. She also confirmed that concrete measures are planned by means of discussions conducted by the European representative for the fight against terrorism, Gilles de Kerchove. The condition for this, Mogherini stressed, is strict respect for human rights. (Fathi B'Chir)