This time, Ursula von der Leyen ended up snatching an agreement from Kaïs Saïed, the Tunisian president. On Sunday July 16, the President of the European Commission, flanked by Giorgia Meloni, the President of the Italian Council, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, went to Tunis for the second time. On June 11, they had promised the imminent signing of a memorandum of understanding for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” EU-Tunisia, which was struggling to materialize. On Sunday, they finally got his signature.
An announcement that took Tunisia by surprise. No information had filtered Sunday on this new visit, nor on the contents of the agreement concluded between the two parts. “We learned of the signing of the agreement via Ursula von der Leyen’s tweet on Sunday, deplores Romdhane Ben Amor, head of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES). It is an agreement between one person and the European Union. »
“As the summer break approached, the President of the Commission absolutely wanted to obtain this agreement”, says a European source in Brussels. Proof that the Commission has accelerated the tempo, the representatives of the Member States will have to meet to study the text, as Mark Rutte mentioned during his speech. According to our information, the latest version of the text, signed, had not been communicated to the representatives of the States…
“We have agreed with Tunisia on a comprehensive set of measures which we will now put into practice quickly”assures Ursula von der Leyen.
This vast partnership covers the economy, energy and the fight against irregular immigration. While most of the aid programs are already known and funded, two key issues are emerging, economic stability and the issue of migrants.
“Immediate budget support”
While the country is in great economic difficulty, Europe is still offering to finance the Tunisian state up to 900 million euros within the broader framework of an agreement proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, Kaïs Saïed still refuses to comply with IMF demands, particularly concerning fuel subsidies.
“As a transitional step, we are ready to provide immediate budgetary support”, says the President of the Commission. A budget of 150 million euros is provided for this purpose. On the other hand, we are assured in Brussels, “the Europeans agreed to remove from the agreement any reference to the necessary macroeconomic stability of the country, as well as any reference to the IMF agreement”. Tunisian red lines.
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