Newly appointed head of the Directorate General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA), Stefano Sannino visited Tunis from 26 to 28 February 2025 to discuss with senior Tunisian authorities the Tunisian-European partnership. This visit provided an opportunity to discuss prospects for cooperation between the EU and Tunisia for the period 2025-2027. It was also an opportunity to strengthen and intensify dialogue between partners as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership (MoU) signed in July 2023 between Tunisia and the European Union. The Director General expressed the wish to achieve a qualitative leap for the partnership. In this context, the partners discussed the already loving cycle of thematic subcommittees – in which Tunisian civil society is fully involved – and the preparations for the EU/Tunisia Association Council that Tunisia and the EU will endeavour to hold in the coming months, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Association Agreement between the two parties.

On the other hand, this visit also marked the launch of consultations on the new Pact for the Mediterranean, which the European Commission plans to endorse in 2025 in order to best respond to the joint challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean region and exploit all opportunities for cooperation likely to contribute to shared solidarity. During these two days in Tunis, the Director-General met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Economy and Planning.Mr. Sannino announced the imminent disbursement of the remaining EUR 54 million for two flagship programmes of the Tunisian-European partnership already agreed between the parties under previous financial cooperation exercises, namely the Ecological Transition Programme (OTE) and the Economic Governance Support Programme (PAGE). This step reflects both the EU’s continued commitment to supporting reforms in the country and the progress made by Tunisia in these areas.