Bloc sets ‘political preconditions’ for financial assistance to Tunisia, EU official says
BRUSSELS
EU foreign ministers will gather on Monday in Luxembourg to discuss the recent developments in Tunisia and Sudan, as well as the global implications of the war in Ukraine.
The ministers will start their reunion with an informal breakfast with Council of Europe chief Marija Pejcinovic Buric and Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir.
Afterward, they will discuss the latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the broader geopolitical consequences of the war, including joint EU procurement to supply arms to Ukraine and the future of the Black Sea grain initiative.
The foreign affairs ministers will also assess the situation in Tunisia which “has deteriorated on three fronts – on the question of financial sustainability, on the question of political environment and finally on the migration issue,” a senior EU official told reporters.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, explained that the EU has done “intense work on macro-economic assistance” for Tunisia because the bloc does not want the country to “collapse financially.”
But the EU requires some “political preconditions” and an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, the EU official explained.
The official stressed that the EU has a “clear position” about the worrying “deterioration of the political environment,” and they demand the immediate release of Ennahda Party leader Rached Ghannouchi who was arrested on Monday over allegations of “plotting against state security.”
The ministers will also talk about the EU-China relations and developments in Sudan and the Middle East.
They are also expected to approve the 7th round of sanctions against Iran for human rights abuses.
The foreign ministers will hold a working lunch with their Georgian counterpart Ilia Darchiashvili.
