Summary:

On 6 February 2024, the Parliament voted to approve Tunisia’s accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe. The vote paves the way for Tunisia to become a party to the international treaty that seeks to harmonize international laws and facilitate transnational cooperation on cybercrime. 

The Council of Europe describes the convention as “the most comprehensive and coherent international agreement on cybercrime and electronic evidence to date.” 

With a favorable vote completed, Tunisia would now be expected to ensure that the domestic legislative framework is aligned with the convention before proceeding to deposit the instrument of accession at the Council of Europe. 

The vote was preceded by meetings in Tunis at which the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Programme Office provided local stakeholders with information about the accession process. 

The convention became effective in 2004 and has grown to include 69 parties with more than 20 other countries currently exploring accession. Accession to the convention typically includes the adoption of a national legal framework to address cybercrime that is aligned with Budapest Convention provisions. 

Outlook: 

Additional progress toward accession to the Budapest Convention is an important step toward modernizing Tunisia’s legal frameworks that govern cybercrime. While much room remains for Tunisia’s economy and government to adopt digital solutions, the risk from cybercrime is prevalent and growing around the world.  

The alignment of legal and judicial processes will empower Tunisia to manage threats from cybercrime moving into the future. 

Furthermore, accession to a highly-regarded treaty like the Budapest Convention will increase perceptions of Tunisia’s willingness to engage meaningfully on rule of law and governance issues that will only grow in importance as technological adoption continues. 

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