Commissioner Várhelyi travels to Tunisia

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, will be in Tunis tomorrow to meet with the Tunisian President, Kais Saied, Prime Minister, Najla Bouden Romdhane, Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi, Minister of Defence Imed Memmich, Minister of Interior Taoufik Charfeddine, Minister of Finance Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia and the Central Bank Governor Marouane Abassi. He will also visit Garde Nationale Maritime. This visit reaffirms EU's support to Tunisia and its population at a moment when the country’s socio-economic situation is further affected by the Russian war against Ukraine, in particular as regards food prices. In this context of increased volatility, Commissioner Várhelyi has recently announced a support package of €200 million for the Southern Neighbourhood region to help mitigating the effects of potential emerging food crises.

Discussions will also focus on opportunities to accelerate the green and digital transitions, improve connectivity, and create better investment conditions under the Economic and Investment Plan. The EU and Tunisia already cooperate on a broad range of policy areas including under EU programmes such as Creative Europe, Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe. The EU also stands ready to strengthen its cooperation with Tunisia on a comprehensive approach to migration and mobility.  Further details on EU cooperation with Tunisia is available here.