Year: 2018

EU-Tunisia relations: towards a strengthening of the Privileged Partnership

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Over the last 12 months, the EU and Tunisia have developed much closer relations and stepped up their cooperation in the various fields covered by the Privileged Partnership. That is the conclusion of the progress report on the state of EU-Tunisia relations published today by the services of the European Commission and the European External Action Service ahead of the EU-Tunisia Association Council in Brussels on 15 May 2018. The report highlights the intense high-level exchanges, dialogue and cooperation on key issues such as youth employability and reforms, consolidating democracy and promoting…

Tunisian fruit exports up 180% from Jan to May 2018

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Fruit exports from Tunisia did very well in the first five months of 2018. According to figures published by the Tunisian Agricultural Ministry, fruit exports rose by 180% in the same period in the previous year, with a 97% increase in value. Between January 2 and May 2, some 1,342 tons of fruit were exported to foreign markets, worth 7.71 billion dinars (€2.55 bln), compared with 478.7 tons worth 3.9152 billion dinars (€1.3 bln) in the same period in 2017. These figures, the Tunisian ministry noted, are explained by the…

Independent candidates get most votes in Tunisia’s municipal election

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Independent candidates in Tunisia’s first free municipal election gained more votes than major parties Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes, officials said on Tuesday citing preliminary results. Sunday’s election is seen as key to a democratic transition and a chance to establish decentralization and local governance. Tunisia is hailed as the Arab Spring’s only democratic success because protests toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 without triggering major violence. But enthusiasm for democratic change has turned to anger over low living standards amid an economy that is struggling. Some Tunisians…

Municipal elections must embrace our differences

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The relative optimism prevailed on the eve of the municipal elections for a better future under the sky of political landscape, did not last. Unfortunately, this optimism turns to a significant anxiety and confusion.  Let’s simply have look at the statements of some politicians to understand the depressingly common feature in their statements on the new municipal Polls. Some of them, considered this event disappointing for the Tunisian democratic community along with its results. According to them, it represents a political earthquake and a warning to the progressive community which must…

Tunisia joins Morocco in electric car industry

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Tunisia has stepped up its efforts to establish a large investment base in the automotive industry, assembly and installation in the region, materialising its partnership with the German “Leoni” group. Experts said that the frequent arrival of investments in Tunisia in the automotive industry, most recently the launch of the German Leoni Group, a new factory in the country, reflects the confidence of foreign investors in the business climate, which is starting to recover. The new unit will be dedicated to the production of electric vehicle components. Tunisia will join…

A Record Number of Awards for Tunisian Olive Oil

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Following a record 38 entries, Tunisian olive oil producers take home 11 awards at the 2018 NYIOOC. Tunisian olive oil producers are celebrating a record win of 11 awards at this year’s NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. This year, 38 entries were received from Tunisia, with seven Gold and four Silver Awards going to Tunisian olive oils. This is important for the recognition of Tunisian olive oil in the world as a high-quality oil with its own personality.– Slim Fendri, Domaine Fendri Karim Fitouri was in New York to receive his awards…

Libyan coast guard intercepts more migrants in Mediterranean

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Libya’s coast guard has intercepted hundreds of migrants, including women and children, in the Mediterranean Sea. It says three boats were stopped on Sunday before leaving Libyan territorial waters off the coast of western districts and cities of Zuwara, Sabratha, and Ras Ajdir, which are close to Tunisia. The first boat was carrying 98 migrants, including nine women, and it was intercepted near the shores of Zuwara. Most on board were Arab nationals from Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. The second boat, stopped near Sabratha, was carrying 114 migrants. A migrant…

Seventh edition of Shepherd Festival in Mount Semmama on May 11, 12 and 13, 2018

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The mountains of the world meet in Semmama The seventh edition of the Shepherd Festival in Mount Semmama will be held from May 11 to 13 on the theme “Mountains of the World Meet in Semama”, with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Ramburg Foundation. This event is the only one that celebrates the shepherds in the Arab world that has been largely echoed by foreign media. World media  will come to Mount Semama to cover an event in which the inhabitants of the mountain declare…

Inflation for Tunisian household consumption reaches 7.7 % in April 2018

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The inflation for Tunisian household consumption reached an alarming rate of 7.7 % in April, the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics (INS)  said on Saturday. The high rate is mainly due to the 8.9 % leap in food prices, and the 10.5% jump in transport expenses, the INC said in its report. Besides, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 1 percent in April. During the first quarter of 2018, Tunisia’s exports reached 10.2 billion dinars (4.08 billion U.S. dollars), while the imports hit 13.8 billion dinars, registering a year-on-year increase…

Tunisians head to polling stations to vote in first free municipal elections

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Tunisians head to the polling stations on Sunday for the first free municipal elections since the 2011 revolution. It is an additional milestone on the road to democracy for Tunisia and its people. Municipal polls have been delayed four times due to logistic, administrative and political deadlocks. “This Sunday will not be like other days. For the first time the Tunisian people are called to participate in municipal elections, something that seems simple but it is very important,” President Caid Essebsi said on Saturday. President Essebsi, casting his ballot in…