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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article25 March 2022Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

First-ever working arrangement with Tunisia brings relations to a new level of cooperation

Tunis signature

On 25 March 2022, the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training signed a formal agreement on law enforcement training cooperation with Tunisia. The working arrangement was signed by the Executive Director of CEPOL, Ms. Montserrat Marín López, and the Director of the Centre national de formation continue de sûreté nationale of Carthage Byrsa, Ms. Salwa Ben Braiek.

This working arrangement is the first that CEPOL concludes with a country outside Europe, and the first among the countries of the EU's Southern Neighbourhood. The formal agreement, which enters into force today, will enable Tunisian law enforcement officials to participate in a continued and structured manner in CEPOL onsite, online and exchange-related training activities, along with EU Member States.

CEPOL has been working closely together with law enforcement partners in Tunisia since 2015 within the framework of the agency’s capacity building projects, jointly addressing training needs that contribute to mutual cooperation for enhanced security. More specifically, the CT MENA project (2015-2017) and CT2 project (2018-2020) set the foundations of this partnership, while the currently ongoing projects CT INFLOW and Euromed Police have further intensified these ties.

“I am honoured to be representing the agency during such an important milestone”, stated Ms. Marín López on the occasion of the signature in Tunis. "Today marks the beginning of an even more enhanced cooperation between CEPOL and our Tunisian partners. We are looking forward to start the implementation of this new working arrangement as soon as possible, and to welcome Tunisian law enforcement officials in our upcoming training activities", she added.

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