In a joint declaration published on Sunday 11 June, the European Union and Tunisia announced that they had agreed to work together on a comprehensive partnership package.
“In an international context marked by uncertainty, it is in our common interest to strengthen our relations and invest in stability and prosperity”, stressed the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, after a meeting with the Tunisian President, Kaïs Saïed, in the company of the Italian and Dutch Prime Ministers, Giorgia Meloni and Mark Rutte.
The package is based on five pillars: economic development, investment and trade, energy, migration and people-to-people contacts.
The aim is to draw up a memorandum of understanding on the global partnership package of measures, to be approved by Tunisia and the EU before the end of June.
“Our economic cooperation will boost growth and prosperity through stronger trade and investment links, promoting opportunities for businesses including small and medium sized enterprises”, states the joint EU/Tunisia declaration.
The European Commission is considering providing macrofinancial assistance as soon as the necessary agreement has been reached. “We are ready to mobilise up to €900 million for this purpose. And, as an immediate step, we could provide additional budgetary aid of €150 million”, said Ms von der Leyen. Macrofinancial assistance will only be possible once an agreement has been reached between Tunisia and the IMF.
Ms von der Leyen also proposed modernising the trade agreement between the EU and Tunisia, believing that there was great potential for creating jobs and stimulating growth in Tunisia. “The digital sector is a major priority for our investment”, she explained, pointing out that the Medusa submarine cable will link 11 countries around the Mediterranean by 2025.
The President of the European Commission also called for the development of an energy partnership at a time when Tunisia is seeking to exploit its renewable energy potential and the EU needs reliable suppliers of clean energy. “In the autumn, we propose to organise an investment forum together in order to mobilise more private investment in the renewable energy sector in Tunisia, including hydrogen,” announced Ms von der Leyen, adding that the EU was working on a memorandum of understanding on renewable energy with Tunisia.
One of the other areas proposed by the Commission concerns the fight against illegal immigration, for which the EU will provide “this year to Tunisia €100 million for border control, and the search for and rescue of migrants”, according to Ms von der Leyen. This financial support for Tunisia was one of the conditions for the green light given on the evening of 8 June in Luxembourg by the Italian government to the mandates relating to the management of asylum and migration and to asylum procedures (see EUROPE 13198/8).
However, the agreement announced on Sunday drew fierce criticism from certain groups in the European Parliament, particularly the Greens/EFA, with Dutch MEP Tineke Strik criticising an agreement that “embraces the dictator Saied as its ‘valuable partner’ and will give him €150 million in exchange for the withdrawal of migrants fleeing Tunisian violence and a growing number of Tunisians persecuted by Saied”. “Not a single word about human rights, the rule of law and democracy”, she commented on Twitter.
Renew Europe Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld questioned the legal basis for the announcements made in the name of the ‘Team Europe’ programme. “Who is ‘Europe’ in this case? ‘Team Europe’ is not an institution and has no power or budgetary authority”, she reacted on Twitter. Ursula von der Leyen is also “accountable to the European Parliament” and “cannot simply commit €1 billion”.
Finally, the EU and Tunisia want to develop people-to-people contacts. “We are going to create a ‘Tunisia’ window in the Erasmus+ programme with a budget of €10 million to support student exchanges”, explained Ms von der Leyen. Partnerships aimed at attracting talent will also be established, to give young Tunisians the opportunity to study, work or train in the EU, she said.
The President of the European Commission also announced the re-establishment of the EU-Tunisia Association Council. “Enhanced political and policy dialogue within the EU-Tunisia Association Council before the end of the year will offer an important opportunity to reinvigorate political and institutional ties, with the aim of addressing common international challenges together and preserving the rules-based order”, says the joint declaration.
See the joint declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/7f0 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Solenn Paulic)