Visiting Tunis (Tunisia) on Tuesday 1 November, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting Tunisia in its efforts to put the economy on its feet and safely carry out economic and social reforms. She made her assurances at a time when the country is worried about the sheer scale of the challenges it is facing.
Mogherini’s visit comes ahead of a visit to Brussels by the Tunisian head of state (see EUROPE 11658), a visit described as a summit that shows the importance Tunisia visibly attaches to formalising the EU’s commitment and confidence in the Tunisian democratic model. The EU’s diplomatic chief explained after separate meetings with Tunisia's President Beji Caïd Essebsi and the head of the government, Youssef Chahed, that she wanted to send a very clear message for all Europeans that Tunisia really is a special, privileged partner and there was extraordinary unity over that. She was speaking to local media, which stressed the sincerity of her words despite growing doubt among politicians and the media about support from the EU.
The visit of the Tunisian president to Brussels in early December will be preceded by an international conference on investment in Tunis on 29 and 30 November. It has been announced that Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn will attend, along with representatives of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Other multinational and global contributors will attend (including the IMF, WB and DAB), along with EU member states’ and American development financing bodies.
Mogherini said that investing in Tunisia now and in the future, investing in the future of Tunisia, especially in young people in Tunisia, was an EU strategic priority, and Tunisia’s success was extremely important.
She then went to Bizerte with Chahed and the secretary general of Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) to inaugurate an integrated programme for the protection of Bizerte Lake from pollution, which has been granted €90 million from the EU over five years. In a press release, the EU delegation in Tunis says the project is a fine example of how tackling pollution and defending the environment can help ensure more inclusive and sustainable social and economic growth. (Original version in French by Fathi B’Chir)