Brussels, 13/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On a visit to Tunis on Tuesday 13 October, the European Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, launched negotiations for a Deep and Comprehensive Free-Trade Agreement (DCFTA) between the EU and Tunisia.
This initial working session, which was chaired on the Tunisian side by the Trade Minister, Ridha Lahouel, marks the official start of these long-prepared talks which are expected to take time as, according to Tunisian sources, both sides hope to “move forward step by step and chapter by chapter to ensure plenty of time to put together a deal which is acceptable on both sides”. Tunisian sources suggest that this agreement has caused considerable apprehension among civil society, which has been consulted, as to the consequences of opening up the Tunisian market to European goods and services.
No details about the discussions have so far been announced, but Malmstrom provided some clarification in a speech before a panel of decision-makers during a conference arranged by the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies (known by its French acronym, ITES) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (known by its German acronym, KAS).
“The DCFTA is a great opportunity for Tunisia and for our partnership. It will demand efforts and creativity from all of us. Striking the right balance is never easy. Finding a good compromise even less so. However, I have great confidence in our capacity for mutual cooperation and understanding. Both the Tunisian political transition and the everyday work of the EU show that where there is a will, anything is possible”, said Malmstrom. “We need to show caution (…). First of all, because the EU is aware of the challenge that an agreement of this kind could represent for Tunisia, calling for considerable reforms. We are therefore proposing an asymmetrical and progressive approach, particularly as regards the commitments to bring the Tunisian legislation closer to that of the EU”. In this way, the EU is prepared to propose “accompaniment measures of the reform process, the upgrading of certain key sectors such as agriculture, services and support for the private sector”.
Malmstrom said that like all other new free-trade agreements negotiated by the EU, the agreement would include a chapter on sustainable development given over to employment standards and respect for multilateral agreements regarding the environment and issues such as corporate social responsibility and ethical trade.
It will also be vital to ensure compliance with human rights and fundamental freedoms, Malmstrom added, stressing the need to “create a political culture” in this area, in a context in which terrorism is a “day-to-day threat”. “Inclusive and ongoing dialogue with civil society” will therefore be necessary, she added, stating that she was “receptive” to requests from Tunisian civil society to be “fully involved” with the negotiations. The EU encourages this dialogue through its direct funding of nearly 55 initiatives carried out by Tunisian civil society, the Commissioner stated.
On the general situation in Tunisia, “we are experiencing difficult times with the economic crisis which is not yet over and unprecedented instability in our region, on both sides of the Mediterranean”, Malmstrom said, referring to the fatal terrorist attacks in Sousse and at the Bardo Museum this year, and to the terrorist threat in Europe. The Commissioner went on to stress that the example set by Tunisia in the teeth of these threats, in its democratic transition and the creation of a new Constitution, had been recognised by the Nobel Committee last week (see EUROPE 11407). “This is fair recognition of the efforts made by the people of Tunisia”, she said.
On Tuesday morning, Malmstrom met the Tunisian Prime Minister, Habib Essid, members of the Tunisian parliament (the Assembly of the Representatives of the People) and representatives of Tunisian civil society. She also met representatives of the organisations of the Quartet honoured by the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. (Original version in French by Fathi B'Chir)