On Wednesday 12 June, the EU and Tunisia renewed their commitment to strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the field of security and the fight against terrorism, “aware of the challenges posed by the transnational nature of the terrorist threat”.
“The objective remains the consolidation of the partnership with operational monitoring of security and counter-terrorism cooperation for the targeted and effective implementation of this cooperation, which is one of the priorities of the EU-Tunisia Privileged Partnership”, the European External Action Service stated in a statement issued on 14 June.
The two sides exchanged views on their respective responses to the terrorist threat and on cooperation in security, judicial and police matters. They stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of the Programme to reform and modernise the security sector in Tunisia (PARMSS), as well as the Tawassol project on the de-radicalisation and reintegration of detained ex foreign fighters.
The EU and Tunisia also discussed policies for managing the return of foreign fighters and the treatment of their families.
Efforts to improve aviation security were also discussed, in particular in view of the future adoption of the Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement (Open Sky).
In addition, the European side acknowledged the progress made by Tunisia in implementing its action plan with a view to its early exit from the list drawn up by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)