The EU’s economic affairs commissioner will visit Tunisia next Monday to discuss reforms and potential financial assistance with the country's officials.
Paolo Gentiloni's visit comes only days after another European delegation visited the country.
Gert Jan Koopman, director general for neighbourhood policy and enlargement negotiations, and Johannes Luchner, deputy director general for EU Home Affairs, were in Tunis on Tuesday “to discuss and assess” the bloc’s relationship with Tunisia.
Mr Gentiloni is expected to meet Tunisian President Kais Saied, Prime Minister Najla Bouden, as well as members of the cabinet including Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar, Minister of Economy Samir Said and Minister of Finance Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia.
The EU official will also be meeting Tunisia’s Central Bank Governor, Marouane Abbassi, and representatives of the Tunisian private sector and civil society, the European Commission’s press service told journalists.
“The commissioner will discuss the socio-economic reforms envisaged by the government in the context of a difficult economic situation with Tunisian officials,” it said.
Mr Gentiloni will be also discussing with the Tunisian government “a potential new macro-financial assistance operation”, which the European Commission said it could consider if “specific preconditions are met.”
The visit comes after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in Brussels, where EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell said that “the situation in Tunisia is very, very dangerous” and warned of repercussions on Europe.
“If it collapses economically or socially, then we will be in a situation where new flows of migrants will come to Europe. We have to avoid this situation,” Mr Borrell said.
Tunisia continues to face a worsening economic situation and urgently needs to enact a package of reforms to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund.
The North African country had sought $4 billion in funding from the IMF and reached a staff-level agreement with the fund in October 2022 for a new 48-month Extended Fund Facility worth about $1.9 billion to support the government’s economic reform programme.
However, it has yet to secure funding from the international lender pending implementation of the actions required.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
