DThe President of Tunisia, Kaïs Saïed, saw that in the face of many young Tunisians going to Europe, the forces of darkness were at work. “You give them money. These people are taking advantage of the suffering and want to repeat the events of 2011,” Said said, referring to the year the dictator was born. Ben Ali Was overthrown. However, he did not reveal who he meant by “she”. But for the president, it is at least clear that they want to “undermine Tunisia’s relations with Italy, Europe and other countries.”
There are growing signs that the political chaos in North African countries may prompt more Tunisians to travel to Europe—as it was in the 2011 Revolution. The intensity of Tunisian immigration has always been a measure of the political situation after the peaceful revolution ten years ago.
More and more scholars
According to media reports, 600 Tunisians landed on the island of Lampedusa in Italy last week. This year, they became the second largest group on the Mediterranean route-ahead of the Syrians. Last year, 13,000 Tunisians ranked first in the number of arrivals in Italy. More and more scholars join in. According to the government, 500 doctors left this country with a population of more than 11 million in the last year alone.
Since the spring of 2020, the Covid pandemic has further exacerbated Tunisia’s long-term economic crisis and migrant Speed up again. No improvement is seen, because a new and devastating wave of corona is currently affecting countries that have not made progress in vaccination. The second summer is also lost. The contribution rate of tourism to economic output exceeds 8%, and the number of employees exceeds 400,000.
According to official data, the unemployment rate is 17%. However, among Tunisian young people-about half are under 30-more than 50% in some areas. Last year, Tunisia’s economic output fell by more than 8%. The country faces the threat of bankruptcy: the national debt has reached a record level, accounting for about 84% of GDP. Six percent inflation and increased water and electricity costs have increased the pressure on the population.
The rating agency Fitch is concerned that the president’s latest move may reduce the willingness of Western partners to continue to support Tunisia. The country can rely on generous financial assistance because it was the only democracy to appear during the Arab Spring. However, it is not only the rating agencies that believe that despite Kaïs Saïed’s ample power, it is unlikely to bring about unwelcome structural reforms—such as in the hyperscale public service sector. A new aid program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been discussed for several months, but without any results. “Nevertheless, European concerns about trans-Mediterranean migration will still be the main motivation for external assistance,” Fitch expects.
