The
Tunisian youth is again on the streets. Five years after the beginning of the
democratic transition many things have been achieved in terms of freedom, human
rights and gender. The country remains the only example, in the Arab region, of
a peaceful and legitimate change. But the economic opportunities are still
missing. It is dreadfully hard to find a job. The terrorist attacks have kept
the tourists away. The complex and dangerous situation in the neighbourhood,
with Libya on one side and Algeria on the other, is not helping either. Many
young Tunisians have actually been radicalised and about five thousand of them
have joined the ranks of the barbaric organization that calls itself “Islamic
State”.
In
addition, there are serious governance issues that have not been addressed.
Corruption is widespread. All these problems have created the impression that
there is no future for the younger generations. The overall sentiment is one of
deep frustration. Therefore, people are back to the streets, and again in very
large numbers.
I
have called on several occasions for assistance to the Tunisian democracy. The
country needs investments, trade agreements, gender-balanced skills
development, security assistance and tourists. It also requires a major overhaul
of its public administration. EU should focus on Tunisia. France has promised today
one billion euros of financial assistance to be disbursed during the next five
years. But Paris should also be the Tunisian advocate in the European institutions.
Europe cannot let Tunisia down.
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