EU boosts Tunisian infrastructure
In 2011 the EU pledged to support greater democracy, freedom and social justice in Tunisia. Through their partnership under the Horizon 2020 framework programme, the support is set to extend to the African nation’s infrastructure.
As a Southern Neighbourhood partner of the EU, Tunisia faces numerous interelated challenges, including the consolidation of democracy, adverse socioeconomic conditions, and the lingering threat of terrorism.
Since the beginning of the relationship the EU has increased financial co-operation with Tunisia by more than twofold. One of the key areas within this co-operation is sustainability development at local and regional levels.
Efforts in support of Tunisia’s vital olive oil industry were adopted this year to boost the economy, which has also suffered in the tourism sector. Transport into, within and from the North African nation is therefore also vital.
The terrorist attacks in 2015 affected tourism and transport and exacerbated an already vulnerable balance of payments. The EU’s financial assistance will therefore help recover Tunisia’s external financing needs throughout 2016 and 2017.
The bilateral aid provided under the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) in 2014 amounted to €169m for, amongst other things, border management, means of subsistence in disadvantaged urban areas and support for civil society. The bilateral aid provided under the ENI in 2015, meanwhile, increased to €186.6m for economic recovery (including of the tourism industry), reform of the security sector and regional development.
Other commodities imported and exported between the EU and Tunisia include machinery and transport equipment (38.1%). The EU committed a total of €90.5m for the Neighbourhood Investment Facility in Tunisia for the period 2008-2015, which currently enables EU grants to complement loans granted by other European development institutions in key areas of national infrastructure such as energy, transport, the environment and private sector development.
