Facing the Challenges of Climate Change and the Restructuring of Mediterranean Agricultural Markets, Tunisian-Italian Cooperation in the Olive Oil Sector is a Strategic Imperative
Beyond technical exchanges, it raises questions about Tunisia's ability to build high-value partnerships, negotiate with confidence, and transform shared expertise into a lasting national advantage.
The participation of a Tunisian delegation in the information day organized in Catania, the second city of Sicily after Palermo, around the "STEP-OL" project goes beyond the simple technical framework of agricultural cooperation. It illustrates a broader dynamic: that of a Tunisia called upon to strengthen selective partnerships, capable of bringing real technological, scientific, and economic value, while defending its national interests with discernment.
Olive Growing, a Strategic Sector in the Face of Climate Challenges
In the entire Mediterranean Basin, the olive oil sector is heavily affected by the effects of climate change: prolonged droughts, the emergence of new pests, and the gradual weakening of yields. For Tunisia, the challenge is major. Olive oil is both an agricultural pillar, an important source of foreign exchange, and a symbol of national heritage.
The STEP-OL project (Sustainable Transboundary Environmental Protection for Olive Oil), part of the Interreg-Next Tunisia-Italy 2021-2027 program, is precisely part of this perspective. It aims to improve disease and pest diagnosis methods using innovative technologies, while promoting the training of technicians and farmers in new sustainable crop protection practices.
The participation of researchers, producers, and associations from both sides, as well as the involvement of the Smbsa company from Nabeul as the main Tunisian partner, illustrates a collaborative approach focused on operational effectiveness.
Partnerships with High Added Value Rather than Superficial Cooperations
Beyond the initiative itself, this type of cooperation raises the essential question of the quality of partnerships that Tunisia chooses to develop. In an increasingly competitive international economic context, the most relevant agreements are those that bring real skill transfers, access to advanced technologies, and concrete opportunities for local producers.
Tunisian-Italian cooperation in the olive oil sector represents a particular interest in this regard. Italy has a long experience in the qualitative enhancement of olive oil, particularly in terms of traceability, certification, and product upgrading. For Tunisia, the challenge is not only to strengthen production but also to consolidate the value chain, from agronomic research to international marketing.
Negotiating with Confidence to Preserve National Interests
Any balanced cooperation, however, assumes a clear and assumed capacity for negotiation. In a world where economic relations often rely on subtle balances, the most fruitful partnerships are those concluded not "through the back door" but in a logic of reciprocity and mutual respect for strategic interests.
For Tunisia, this means defending its priorities with intelligence: protecting its producers, enhancing its national brands, ensuring fair access to technologies, and recognizing the quality of its olive oil on international markets. This approach is neither protectionist nor confrontational but rather a strategic pragmatism indispensable for transforming cooperation agreements into true levers of development.
Transforming Expertise into National Advantage
Beyond the technical dimension, the modernization of the olive oil sector also constitutes an opportunity to rethink local economic models. The introduction of advanced diagnostic technologies, crop monitoring systems, or more sustainable agricultural practices can contribute to improving the profitability of farms, particularly small and medium-sized ones, which represent a significant part of the national agricultural fabric.
By promoting farmers' access to innovation and continuous training, these projects can thus strengthen the social and economic resilience of rural regions.
Moreover, international cooperation in strategic sectors like olive growing must be part of a long-term vision integrating the upgrading of Tunisian products. Beyond increasing export volumes, the challenge consists of consolidating strong national brands, developing geographical indications, and promoting a qualitative image of "made in Tunisia" olive oil on international markets.
It is by combining agricultural innovation, commercial valorization, and proactive economic diplomacy that Tunisia can transform its natural assets into durable competitive advantages.
Economic Diplomacy on the Ground to be Consolidated
The presence of the Tunisian Consulate General in Palermo during the Catania meeting reminds us of the growing role of economic diplomacy in the concrete monitoring of cooperation projects. Institutional support, technical monitoring, and networking of public and private actors are now essential levers for transforming field initiatives into sustainable results for producers and territories.
In a context marked by the intensification of climate challenges and the rapid transformation of agricultural markets, Tunisia has every interest in multiplying targeted partnerships based on innovation and real know-how transfer. Italy, a strategic partner due to its geographical, historical, and economic proximity, occupies a singular place: it is both a natural ally and a direct competitor on international olive oil markets.
This dual reality calls for a lucid and demanding cooperation, where each joint project must contribute to strengthening national capacities, the upgrading of national products, and the mastery of their value chain. And when we know that our country sells its oil in bulk to several partners, including Spain and Italy, which then recondition it under their own labels, the issue of transparency and valorization of local products takes on its full importance in negotiations.
Getting the best out of a partner and competitor as close requires negotiating with confidence, demanding concrete skill transfers, and ensuring that each cooperation initiative consolidates, in the long term, the position of the olive oil sector, in the interest of Tunisia — and why not Italy — the essential being to know how to negotiate.
And more than a simple technical exchange, Tunisian-Italian cooperation can thus become a true strategic strengthening lever for the sector, provided it is conducted with audacity, rigor, and unwavering determination so that each decision serves the interests of Tunisia first and foremost.
