Last
week, in the middle of a discussion about the Arab changes and democratisation
processes, I made a strong point to my European friends about Tunisia. The line
was very simple: we should encourage EU tourists to visit the country as a way
of helping the country to overcome the current economic slowdown. We should
also put pressure on the travel agencies to bring Tunisia back as a highly
recommended destination. And we should recognize the country as an example
within the North African region and be clear about our support to its political
transformation.
In
this context, yesterday´s terrorist action against foreign tourists, with very
heavy loss of life, is a major setback, besides being a great tragedy for the victims.
If the forces that oppose democratic change and liberty wanted to cause serious
damage to Tunisia they managed to achieve their aims yesterday. The tourism
sector is now ready to collapse. This will have a deep impact on the country´s
economy and it will create additional social hardships.
Our
role, as EU friends of the Arab positive change, is to call for more EU
assistance to Tunisia, on an extraordinary basis, as a bridging package, to
give the country a chance to rebuild its image as a safe destination. Part of
such assistance should include a strong security component. We ought to keep in
mind that success on the Southern banks of the Mediterranean Sea are vital for
our European interests.
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