The EU delegation to Tunisia has announced the payment of 52.5 million euros in donation to Tunisia for the implementation of three programmes of reforms agreed upon in the fields of water management, modernisation of the administration and economic recovery.

13 million euros have just been paid to the state’s budget, as part of a total amount of 50 million euros since 2011 for the programme PAPS-EAU to support the efforts in water management, in relation to the rural and agricultural development. The main achievements of this programme are the effective launch of “the water annual review” and the setting up of a strategy to preserve groundwater resources.

Besides, an amount of 14.5 million euros of budget support were paid in return for the realisation of economic reforms planned by the government, in the framework of the fourth support programme to the economic recovery signed in 2014.

Some programmes come to an end, others just started: the EU has paid the first instalment of 25 million euros, in compliance with the agreement signed last September between the EU and Tunisia on the modernisation of the public administration. The programme aims at facilitating and simplifying the relation between the Tunisian administration and the users, and modernising human resources management in the public sector.

Finally, in the framework of the programme “pilot initiative of integrated local development”, 48.5 million euros have been made available to the ministry of local affairs and environment. Ahead of the next local elections due to be held in a few months, this programme will equip and reinforce the capacities of new municipalities, and will fund local socio-economic investment programmes.

The support of the EU to the social and economic reforms – vital to consolidate the return to economic growth – will be pursued in 2018. “These three disbursements and this commitment show that the European Union keeps its promises in Tunisia and prepares the future”, says Patrice Bergamini, ambassador of the EU in Tunisia.

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Press release

EU Delegation to Tunisia