Year: 2017

Tunisia urged to trim wage bill and reform tax system

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he IMF has urged Tunisia to take action on tax reform and its public sector wage bill to help bring the country’s finances under control. A team from the Washington-based lender met with Tunisian authorities to discuss the country’s recent economic developments under the reform programme supported by the four-year IMF extended fund facility (EFF). “Better managing the public-sector wage bill, which is among the highest in the world and absorbs half of total expenditure, will be indispensable,” said Bjoern Rother, the leader of the IMF’s team, who acknowledged the…

School dropouts in Tunisia’s marginalised border regions

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Border communities in Tunisia appear to be facing a phenomenon of high rates of dropouts from school, according to local civil society organisations. Rates are as high as double the national average in certain areas, it emerged during our dialogue forums in the governorates of Kasserine, Jendouba, Medenine and Tataouine. This has had profound social and economic impacts on the inhabitants of these regions. We are working with local civil society, communities and experts in the marginalised governorates to identify and share data and trends on the nature and causes…

Indonesia, Tunisia Agree to Boost Cooperation in Economy, Counterterrorism

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Indonesia and Tunisia agreed to increase bilateral cooperation across several areas, including in economy, counterterrorism and capacity-building when Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met her Tunisian counterpart, Khemaies Jhinaoui, on Tuesday (02/10) in Tunis. “Strong political relations between Indonesia and Tunisia serve as a strong foundation to develop economic cooperation between the two countries,” Retno said in a statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Retno and Jhinaoui met during the former’s visit to the North African country, where discussing opportunities to increase bilateral cooperation was the main agenda. According to…

AVANI Hotels & Resorts Partners with Groupe Chaabane to Debut Brand in North Africa with Two Tunisia Properties

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Bangkok, October 6,  2017: AVANI Hotels & Resorts, the vibrant upscale brand by Minor Hotels, is pleased to announce it will debut in North Africa with two new properties in Tunisia, in partnership with Groupe Chaabane. Scheduled to open in the coming months, AVANI Les Berges Du Lac Tunis Suites will be located in Les Berges du Lac II, a prime commercial, residential and diplomatic area in the Tunisian Capital. The 41-key property will offer exclusive serviced apartment accommodation options ranging from Studios to Three-Bedroom Apartments and Lofts, catering to corporate and extended-stay…

No evidence of Tunisian links to extremists: PM

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Tunisia’s prime minister said his government has no evidence that the Tunisian who stabbed two women to death in Marseille had links to any extremist group. Meeting with his French counterpart in Tunis, Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed condemned Sunday’s attack, saying “there is no justification for such barbaric acts.” French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the two countries agreed to work more closely together on security and responding to terror attacks and radicalization. Chahed said they would notably focus on “preventing the risks inherent in the return of terrorists…

IMF Statement on Tunisia

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End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. The IMF team noted the authorities’ commitment to translate their reform ambitions into action in the 2018 budget bill. Modernizing the civil service will help to reduce fiscal risks and make the overall economy more competitive. Discussions on Tunisia’s economic reforms will continue in Washington during the IMF’s Annual Meetings on October 13-15.…

EU: 20% fall in migrants from Libya: EU naval force

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The number of illegal migrants leaving Libya for Europe has fallen by 20 percent so far in 2017, the European naval force charged with stopping people trafficking in the Mediterranean said Thursday. “We have seen a drop in the number of people leaving Libya for Europe this year, around 20 percent,” Enrico Credendino, commander of the force, told a news conference aboard the Cantabria ship at the port of La Goulette, near Tunis. Summer saw a drop of 75 percent compared with the same period in 2016, with the number…

Tunisia youth organisation launches heritage observatory

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The Tunisian association Edifices & Mémoires plans to create a Collective Heritage Observatory, to identify and document the country’s cultural heritage sites, with the support of the EU-funded NET-MED Youth programme. The team will report on any damages to these sites, such as alterations or demolitions. The association Edifices & Mémoires is supported by NET-MED Youth. It is one of the winner in the UNESCO’s call for projects on Cultural Heritage and Youth Engagement. The EU funded project NET-MED Youth supports youth initiatives and actions so that art and culture…

Tunisia first post-revolt municipal vote set for March

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 Tunisia’s first post-revolt municipal elections originally due to take place in December will be held in March, the authorities said Thursday, after they were postponed at the request of political parties. The decision to hold the elections on March 25 was taken after a closed-door meetingof the Independent High Authority for Elections with representatives of the government, parties and civil society. The long-delayed polls had been seen as the final stage in Tunisia’s transition to democracy following its 2011 uprising which sparked the Arab Spring revolutions. The postponement had come at…

Record harvest of Tunisian dates for 2017-2018

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The 2017/2018 season will register a new record for date sub-sector in Tunisia. Fruit production is expected to reach 305.251 tonnes i.e. a 26.3% jump compared to 2016/2017, according to Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fishery Samir Taieb. This exceptional harvest will allow the country to improve its status in the top 20 of the world’s fruit suppliers, dominated by Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Besides, the Minister said that many actions will have to be taken in the export segment to secure the…