Summary:

On Monday, 2 October 2023, numerous media outlets reported that President Kais Saied had announced his rejection of European “charity,” raising questions about the future of the security assistance deal reached between the EU Commission and Tunisia in July. 

President Saied’s statements did not clarify specific components of the July agreement that were unacceptable or if the deal was being rejected outright. 

Despite the President’s apparent dissatisfaction, the European Commission confirmed on 4 October that €60 million of the €127 million agreed to had been sent to Tunisia. One European Commissioner fired back on social media, welcoming Tunisia to return the money if it is indeed so unwanted. 

Meanwhile, at a recent Euro Med 9 meeting in Malta, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni made comments indicating her interest in separating EU out from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement. A nearly $1 billion economic assistance package from the EU has been promised to Tunisia if a deal can be reached with the IMF. 

Outlook:  

The future of Tunisia’s cooperation with Europe has reached an uncertain point with President Saied taking a strong position just as assistance was set to begin in earnest. 

Doubts have swirled across Europe about the nature of the deal for weeks. With concerns now emerging from the Tunisian side, the future of the deal is much less certain. 

However, Europe remains highly invested in leveraging a partnership with Tunisia to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, making a break from cooperation unlikely. The coming weeks will likely include an evolution in discussions around the nature of aid and to what extent it is linked to the economic reforms insisted upon by the IMF. 

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