Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his Department’s policy to (a) increase economic support to Tunisia and (b) urge the EU to consider fast-tracking its negotiations for a free trade partnership with that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

UK support for Tunisia has doubled in the last year to nearly £6 million for programmes to support economic reform, governance and security sector capacity building. We will continue this high level of co-operation in the next Financial Year, including £3 million from the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. We also anticipate significant new programmes to provide economic reform in Tunisia over the next four years, with international partners and are ready to help Tunisia access, and make more use of, existing funds from multilateral organisations. However, it is important that Tunisia sets out its plans for economic development and reform.

We will continue to urge the EU to take forward negotiations on a deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with Tunisia.