EU Prioritizes Artisanal Sector in Tunisia, Ambassador Says

The artisanal sector is the area where the European Union is "particularly focused" in Tunisia, according to Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone. He made this statement at the closing of the first phase of the Creative Tunisia program, held on Monday at the Tunis Congress Palace, announcing the continuation of the program and the partnership with the Ministry of Tourism.

Ambassador Perrone justified the EU's priority on the artisanal sector due to three converging factors: the high representation of women in this sector, its export potential, and the high level of informality that characterizes it. These are the areas that European cooperation aims to address structurally.

He described the program's approach as "holistic," combining the valorization of traditional skills, the development of sustainable tourism, and the exploitation of cultural heritage to generate local growth dynamics and improve employability, particularly for young people and women.

In this context, Creative Tunisia was inscribed, a program co-financed by Italy and implemented by its national cooperation agency, with the participation of France via Expertise France and Germany via the GIZ. The program is structured around three axes: support for artisanal and traditional industries, support for sustainable tourism, and the valorization of cultural heritage. It has mobilized several partner entities over seven years, including representatives who gathered on Monday alongside the UN Resident Coordinator and several ambassadors.

Ambassador Perrone indicated that he had personally visited projects conducted in cities such as Gafsa and Gabès, where he observed the enthusiasm of participants and the real impact of the program on the lives of beneficiaries.

The consolidation of achievements now appears as the main challenge identified. Ambassador Perrone emphasized that it is not enough to trigger positive dynamics: the structures created within the program must be equipped with solid governance, capable of ensuring their continuity without relying indefinitely on external funding.

Closing his intervention, Giuseppe Perrone wanted to distinguish the nature of European engagement from any commercial logic. He stated that the European Union does not intervene in Tunisia to "seize commercial opportunities," but because it shares a common vision of the country's economic and social future. Citing the geographical proximity and shared history between the two shores of the Mediterranean, he qualified the EU-Tunisia partnership as "quite special," positioning European action at a "strategic" level.