Year: 2018

EU-Tunisia Negotiations: Freeing Trade Without Exchanging Freedoms? (FTDES)

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The week of April 23, 2018 will be marked by the launch of discussions, between Tunisia and the European Union, on the conditions of trade, with the aim of signing the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement) (DCFTA), and this, after completing, the negotiations, that started from Tuesday, on the readmission of migrants and the facilitation of visa applications for a small part of Tunisian women and men. According to an article published Tuesday by the Tunisian Forum for Common and Social Rights (FTDES), under the title “EU-Tunisia Negotiations: Free…

Olive oil production to hit new record in the 2017-18 season in Tunisia

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Olive oil production will reach a new record during the 2017-18 season, in Tunisia. The national oil office (ONH) indicated that the oilseed’s volume is expected to be 280, 000 tonnes during the period under review, well beyond the 5-year average of 190, 000 tonnes and the International Olive Oil Council’s initial estimates of 220, 000 tonnes Shipments should pursue the momentum recorded at the beginning of this year, reaching 200,000 tonnes by the end of the season, next October. For the record, at the end of March, Tunisia exported 110,…

US-led military strikes in Syria spark global call for political settlement

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The US-led military attacks on alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria have raised grave global concern, with politicians calling strongly for relevant parties to return to dialogue and avoid an escalation of tensions. The strikes, launched by the United States along with its allies Britain and France before daybreak Saturday, followed reports of alleged chemical weapons use in Douma near the capital city of Damascus on April 7. The Syrian government has strongly denied the allegation, calling for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to send a…

Data privacy: new global survey reveals growing internet anxiety

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2018 poll of internet users in both developed and developing countries shows varying patterns of attitudes and behaviours toward the digital economy. Nearly four fifths of internet users in North America are concerned about privacy online, saying that internet companies are a primary source of their anxiety. This was 5% more than the year before, the latest poll data shows. The jump, recorded in a poll released today during the first day of E-Commerce Week, reflects growing concerns about data privacy and online security. The survey was conducted by the Centre for International Governance…

Tunisia’s “Startup Act” could show other African governments how to support tech ecosystems

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The success story of local tech ecosystems across Africa has provided a positive narrative over the past decade. But much of this success has come despite the lack of an enabling environment or reformist legislation. Increasingly, however, governments across the continent are beginning to focus more on how to boost fledgling ecosystems. With a newly passed Startup Act (in Arabic)—a law which sets out government’s policies for startup growth—Tunisia appears to be taking the lead in this regard. The law has come after two years of deliberations with legislators engaging entrepreneurs, civil society, and…

Tunisia to host next Arab Summit

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Tunisia will host the next Arab Summit, President BĂ©j CaĂŻd Essebsi said on Sunday in Dhahran, Essebsi said he was pleased to host the next Arab Summit and honoured to chair its work in Tunisia, in a speech delivered at the closing of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Convinced of the importance of defending our causes and our shared destiny and the need to boost joint Arab action, Tunisia is honoured to host the foundations of the 30th Arab Summit, said President Caid Essebsi. We will work together,…

Campaign for municipal elections starts in Tunisia

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The electoral campaign for the May 6 municipal elections started last Saturday in Tunisia through the 24 governorates. (350 municipal constituencies). About 2,074 candidate lists will run for a total of 7,177 municipal seats, of which 1,055 party lists, 159 coalition lists and 860 independents, said the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) on Friday. According to the figures of ISIE, 69.63 percent of heads of lists are men and 30.3 percent are women, and 5,369,843 voters that have registered officially would be in front of the 11,185 polling stations…

Prosecutors from Libya and Tunisia exchange experiences on justice for children systems

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The German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development sponsored a workshop that included judges and prosecutors from Libya and Tunisia as part of the south to South cooperation between both countries. The workshop was held on Friday in Tunis, with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and aimed to develop learning and share experiences related to child friendly-court, and the human resources required to protect children in contact with the law, whether they were victims, witnesses or accused. UNICEF’s Special Representative for Libya Abdul Rahman Ghandour stated…

UTICA looks to renew key sectors in Tunisia

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“I believe that highlighting the successes of successful domestic and foreign companies is one of the best communication tools to be exercised, ” said Majoul. “A number of recent rankings, some of which were unfair to Tunisia, have had a negative impact on the image of our country, which forces us all to make the necessary efforts to change this image and to define the benefits of our country, ” says Samir Majoul, President of UTICA. In his allocation during the opening of the national conference on ” Industry and…

Tourism revenue in Tunisia up 28% to April 10

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European tourists up 51.4% in first quarter Tourism revenue in Tunisia rose by 28% between January 1 and April 10 over the same period in 2017, according to government data released on Friday. This year so far income from tourism has amounted to 530.8 million Tunisian dinars, compared to 413.6 million in the equivalent period last year. Likewise, the number of nights spent in hotels by non-residents rose by 36.9% in the first quarter over the first three months of 2017. European tourists have risen by 51.4% and those from…