EU Pledges Support to Tunisia
17 January 2013
Read by 1623 persons
The European Union is committed to supporting Tunisia's efforts to overcome its economic challenges.
European authorities reaffirmed their support for Tunis during the first meeting of the Tunisian-European Economic Consultative Council, held last Tuesday. This meeting, following the second anniversary of the Tunisian revolution, is crucial for the country's ongoing transition. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, expressed confidence in Tunisia's ability to successfully navigate this transition, draft a consensual constitution, and organize democratic and transparent elections, making it a model of democratic change in the region. A strong message from the EU President. This first meeting aims to lay the groundwork for good and long-lasting cooperation between the two parties. During this event, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission and head of industry and entrepreneurship for the European delegation, emphasized strengthening the partnership between Tunisia and Europe through a new economic policy. "We will examine with Tunisian officials ways to encourage European and Tunisian companies to create joint ventures. Encouraging the creation of joint projects will undoubtedly increase trade volume between Europe and Tunisia, but also develop the size of Tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises and address unemployment," he explained.
Strengthening Economic Cooperation Between the EU and Tunisia
Antonio Tajani also specified that the Tunisian-European Economic Consultative Council will meet every six months to review the economic partnership. He added that quarterly meetings between the two parties will be organized to examine specific issues, including training and support for young people, public-private partnerships, etc. Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali hoped that his country would have a prominent place in the new European industrialization strategy. As a reminder, the Economic Consultative Council met on November 28, 2012, to further explore ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the EU and Tunisia. Furthermore, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the revolution on Monday, Tunisia signed a social pact aimed at relaunching the transition and, above all, reviving the disappointed hopes of the Tunisian people. This pact, a first in the country that launched the Arab Spring in 2011, is intended to strengthen ties between the government and the people. This document, signed two years after the January 14, 2011 revolution, aims to institutionalize a permanent, regular, and comprehensive tripartite dialogue on matters of common interest to the government, the Tunisian General Labour Union (trade union), and the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce, and Crafts (employer's organization). The goal is to ensure social peace and stability and create conditions conducive to successful economic growth and social development.
A Social Pact to Relaunch the Transition
Tunisia's new social pact provides for a national consensus to serve a new development model through a participatory approach involving the government and economic and social stakeholders, while ensuring fair, comprehensive, sustainable, and balanced development across all regions of the country. In general, the aim is to achieve integrated growth through the promotion of a high-employment economy to create additional decent jobs for women and men. To this end, a regional development plan will be developed that values the potential, wealth, and specificities of each region within the framework of decentralization and local democracy. The document emphasizes the principle of good governance, the only guarantee of achieving the objectives of the revolution. It also plans to promote the business climate, revise the investment incentive code, and design a new system aimed at opening up inland regions and integrating their economies. Tunisia's new social pact also plans to establish a new unemployment insurance system, "which will be established as an independent fund bringing together workers unemployed due to economic or technical reasons, or those who have lost their jobs involuntarily following a sudden and final company closure." The document also provides for the creation of a "National Council for Social Dialogue with an equal tripartite composition (government, union, and employers) to build a framework for permanent, regular, and comprehensive dialogue."
Lesoir-echos.com
Published January 17, 2013.
Posted online January 17, 2013.
European authorities reaffirmed their support for Tunis during the first meeting of the Tunisian-European Economic Consultative Council, held last Tuesday. This meeting, following the second anniversary of the Tunisian revolution, is crucial for the country's ongoing transition. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, expressed confidence in Tunisia's ability to successfully navigate this transition, draft a consensual constitution, and organize democratic and transparent elections, making it a model of democratic change in the region. A strong message from the EU President. This first meeting aims to lay the groundwork for good and long-lasting cooperation between the two parties. During this event, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission and head of industry and entrepreneurship for the European delegation, emphasized strengthening the partnership between Tunisia and Europe through a new economic policy. "We will examine with Tunisian officials ways to encourage European and Tunisian companies to create joint ventures. Encouraging the creation of joint projects will undoubtedly increase trade volume between Europe and Tunisia, but also develop the size of Tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises and address unemployment," he explained.
Strengthening Economic Cooperation Between the EU and Tunisia
Antonio Tajani also specified that the Tunisian-European Economic Consultative Council will meet every six months to review the economic partnership. He added that quarterly meetings between the two parties will be organized to examine specific issues, including training and support for young people, public-private partnerships, etc. Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali hoped that his country would have a prominent place in the new European industrialization strategy. As a reminder, the Economic Consultative Council met on November 28, 2012, to further explore ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the EU and Tunisia. Furthermore, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the revolution on Monday, Tunisia signed a social pact aimed at relaunching the transition and, above all, reviving the disappointed hopes of the Tunisian people. This pact, a first in the country that launched the Arab Spring in 2011, is intended to strengthen ties between the government and the people. This document, signed two years after the January 14, 2011 revolution, aims to institutionalize a permanent, regular, and comprehensive tripartite dialogue on matters of common interest to the government, the Tunisian General Labour Union (trade union), and the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce, and Crafts (employer's organization). The goal is to ensure social peace and stability and create conditions conducive to successful economic growth and social development.
A Social Pact to Relaunch the Transition
Tunisia's new social pact provides for a national consensus to serve a new development model through a participatory approach involving the government and economic and social stakeholders, while ensuring fair, comprehensive, sustainable, and balanced development across all regions of the country. In general, the aim is to achieve integrated growth through the promotion of a high-employment economy to create additional decent jobs for women and men. To this end, a regional development plan will be developed that values the potential, wealth, and specificities of each region within the framework of decentralization and local democracy. The document emphasizes the principle of good governance, the only guarantee of achieving the objectives of the revolution. It also plans to promote the business climate, revise the investment incentive code, and design a new system aimed at opening up inland regions and integrating their economies. Tunisia's new social pact also plans to establish a new unemployment insurance system, "which will be established as an independent fund bringing together workers unemployed due to economic or technical reasons, or those who have lost their jobs involuntarily following a sudden and final company closure." The document also provides for the creation of a "National Council for Social Dialogue with an equal tripartite composition (government, union, and employers) to build a framework for permanent, regular, and comprehensive dialogue."
Lesoir-echos.com
Published January 17, 2013.
Posted online January 17, 2013.
