THE
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL THEME
Free
Exchange and partnership agreements :
Cooperation in the economic and financial field aims
at establishing a Euro-Mediterranean free-exchange zone,
through bilateral partnership agreements concluded between
the European Union and partner countries.
Tunisia was the first partner country to have signed an
Association Agreement, which came into force in 1998. Pursuant
to this agreement, about 60% of all Tunisian imports from
the European Union are wholly exempt from customs duties,
while the rest of imports from the European Union enjoy
a decrease of customs duties of about 65% for certain items
and of 45% for others.
Financial
cooperation :
The MEDA program ranks as the most important Euro-Mediterranean
mechanism for financial cooperation. It finances many bilateral
and regional projects and programs intended to reinforce
economic programs, improve the performance of the private
sector and consolidate social balance. In this regard, Tunisia,
which represents no more than 4% of the region's population,
benefited from 14% of the total financial support allocated
for the countries of the Southern Mediterranean.
Early in the 1990s, Tunisia proposed to the European side
the idea of establishing a financial institution to support
development in the Maghreb countries. This proposal won
the support of the European Commission, and was materialized
during the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference held
in Valencia (April 2002), under the presidency of Spain.
The conference adopted a resolution for the establishment
of a new financial institution. In a first phase, the institution
would start in the form of investment facilities in the
field of infrastructure and the private sector, to be granted
by the European Investment Bank. It would then be converted
into a Euro-Mediterranean bank.
Worth stating, in this regard, is the fact that Tunisia
expressed its willingness to host the branch of the European
Investment Bank for the Maghreb region.
Regional cooperation :
The regional cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean
covers economic and financial fields which the Barcelona
Declaration considers of crucial importance : industry,
environment, commerce, transport, the information society
and other fields.
In this regard, Tunisia submitted several proposals, most
of which aimed at promoting the role of the private sector
and at establishing frameworks and networks of cooperation
between the concerned bodies in all countries : commercial
and economic chambers, industry promotion agencies, investment
promotion agencies, environment, health or tourist bodies
or institutions,etc.
Tunisia took part in all ministerial and expert meetings.
It also hosted a number of symposiums in the fields of energy,
investment, environment protection, and scientific research
and technology. Besides, it submitted a number of projects
which are financed by the European Union and are currently
being implemented.
A Euro-Mediterranean project on transport has recently been
adopted, and Tunisia was chosen to host the office that
will undertake its implementation.
Many analysts and researchers, especially European, consider
Tunisia a model to follow in the field of economic and financial
cooperation with the European Union, not only because it
is the first country to sign an Association Agreement with
the European Union, but also in view of the comprehensive
economic reforms it has undertaken in all sectors, without
overlooking the social and human dimension.
By and large, Tunisia considers that the economic cooperation
with the European Union should reduce economic disparities
between the two shores of the Mediterranean, and should
be grounded upon the principle of partnership and solidary
sustainable development, contrary to the traditional concept
of cooperation which consisted of a financial assistance
offered by Europe to the countries of the South. To achieve
these objectives, Tunisia proposes to the European side
:
- To promote regional cooperation, especially
South-South cooperation;
- To increase European investments in the region, especially
in the new promising sectors;porteurs
- To promote North-South commercial exchanges;
- To review certain measures and criteria used for the choice
and financing of projects, so as to allow partner countries
to benefit, as best as possible, from the MEDA program.
