Italy grants Tunisia €200m for development projects

Italy Wednesday pledged to finance up to €200 million development projects in Tunisia as part of a cooperation agreement between the two countries.

The grant will fund several projects spanning over economic recovery, agriculture, employment, and training and youth integration, over a two year period, 2021-2023, Webdo Tunis reports.

The agreement was announced on the sidelines of President Kais Saied visit to Rome at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella Omri Omca.

Italy has had a bone of contention with Tunisia over floods of Tunisian illegal migrants arriving at its sea shores across the Mediterranean.

Rome and Brussels have repeatedly sought Tunis’s cooperation in curbing the steady arrival of migrants.

Italy considers Tunisia a “safe country” and has been deporting Tunisian illegal migrants.
During the first five months of this year, 2,817 Tunisians reached the Italian coasts according to data provided by FTDES, a non-governmental organization protecting Tunisians’ economic and social rights.