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Viewing cable 06TUNIS1946, TUNISIA ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06TUNIS1946 2006-08-01 15:01 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Tunis
VZCZCXRO7226
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHTU #1946/01 2131501
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011501Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1432
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 7263
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1609
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 8193
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 0368
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA PRIORITY 3978
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TUNIS 001946 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/MAG FOR MAYA HARRIS, EB/CIP 
STATE PASS USTR (BELL), USPTO (ADLIN), USAID (METZGER) 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/ONE (ROTH), ADVOCACY CTR (JAMES), AND 
CLDP (TEJTEL) 
CASABLANCA FOR (FCS ORTIZ) 
PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EFIN ETRD EAGR TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS 
 
REF: TUNIS 1741 
 
1. (U) This cable contains highlights of recent economic 
developments in Tunisia in the following areas: 
 
A. Prime Minister Discusses Recent Economic Reforms 
B. Adoption of New Economic Laws 
C. National Strategy for a Digital Economy 
D. Tunisia Ratifies International Sugar Agreement 
E. Wheat Crop Yield Expected to Fall 
F. World Bank Loans to Tunisia to Fund Education, 
   Irrigation Projects 
G. Belgian Loan to Tunisia to Finance Taparura Project 
H. European Investment Bank Loan to Tunisian NGO 
   Enda Inter-Arabe 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
A. PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS WITH AMBASSADOR HUDSON 
   ABOUT ECONOMIC REFORMS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
2. (SBU)  On July 18, Tunisian Prime Minister Ghannouchi told 
Ambassador Hudson that two new economic reforms had taken 
effect and that he hoped they would spur investment and 
business.  The first item reforms Tunisia's Customs code, 
harmonizing registrations with world standards to streamline 
customs procedures.  The second item reduces the tax rate on 
corporate profits from 35 percent to 30 percent in order to 
increase investment in regional development zones.  According 
to the media, the tax cut renders Tunisia's rate on par with 
average rates within the European Union (France 35.9%, 
Germany 38.5%, Italy 37.3%). 
 
3. (SBU) Ghannouchi also said GOT was working to make the 
Tunisian dinar completely convertible.  Currently, the 
Tunisian dinar is a soft currency convertible only for 
commercial and investment transactions.   GOT has worked 
since 1987 for full dinar liberalization. Comment:  Full 
convertibility of the dinar has been an extremely slow 
process.  GOT is concerned about the secondary effects of 
full convertibility (capital flight, devaluation of the 
dinar, inflation, loss of control, and concern that the 
Tunisian economy is not strong enough to sustain full 
convertibility of the dinar).  GOT's total control over 
fiscal measures and financial transactions has worked well so 
far and has helped them maintain a relative equilibrium. 
Even though full convertibility would attract more foreign 
direct investment, there is still significant resistance 
within the GOT to speed the process.  End comment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
B. TUNISIAN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES Ratifies ECONOMIC LAWS 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
4. (U) On July 18, the Chamber of Deputies Ratified the 
Export Credit Guarantee Agreement between the United States 
and Tunisia.  The agreement is part of the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation GSM-102 
program, which helps ensure that credit is available to 
finance commercial exports of U.S. agricultural products to 
developing countries.  The agreement will help finance 
Tunisian imports of U.S. agricultural products, notably 
vegetable oil.  At an amount of 20 million dollars (27.3 
million Tunisian dinars), the credit is repayable over 3 
years. 
 
5. (U) The Chamber also ratified the International Convention 
on Olive Oil and Table Olives adopted in Geneva April 29, 
2005 and signed by Tunisia on November 15, 2005.  Tunisia is 
a member of the International Olive Oil Council of the United 
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 
 
6. (U) Tunisian Agriculture Minister Haddad specifically 
noted that Tunisia's imports of vegetable oil from the U.S. 
at a price below that of olive oil helps to preserve the 
buying power of Tunisian consumers.  He added that Tunisia's 
exports of olive oil represent an important market at a value 
 
TUNIS 00001946  002 OF 003 
 
 
of 700 million dinars per year, even in an international 
market where demand is declining. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
C. COUNCIL OF MINISTERS EXAMINES NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR 
   DIGITAL ECONOMY 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
7. (U) Tunisian President Ben Ali presided over a special 
Ministerial Council on July 19 to discuss Tunisia's national 
strategy to promote a digital economy.  The Council first 
reviewed its achievements in improving its digital economy: 
information technology networks, human resource development, 
and ways to improve the competitiveness of employees in these 
fields.  The Council also reviewed future tools and 
objectives needed to modernize Tunisia's workplace, export 
potential, and investment climate.  The Council mentioned 
several ways to achieve its objectives, particularly through: 
1) integrating the public and private sectors in activities 
related to the digital economy; 2) increasing the work force 
of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the 
government paying 25% of the salaries earned by newly-hired 
workers with graduate degrees for three years; 3) supporting 
businesses working in the digital economy in international 
quality systems; and 4) creating a High Commission on the 
Digital Economy.  President Ben Ali asked the Council of 
Ministers to prepare a bill finalizing this strategy. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
D. TUNISIA REVIEWS INTERNATIONAL SUGAR AGREEMENT 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
8. (U) On July 12, the Council of Ministers reviewed a bill 
which, if approved, would bring Tunisia into compliance with 
the 1992 International Sugar Agreement.  According to the 
local press, compliance with the agreement would allow 
Tunisia to have a say in the policies of the UN's 
International Sugar Council, in which each member has one 
vote, and would reportedly create regional opportunities to 
promote and improve Tunisia's sugar industry. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
E. TUNISIA'S WHEAT CROP YIELD EXPECTED TO FALL IN 2006 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
9. (U) Media reports indicate that Tunisia's 2006 overall 
wheat crop is likely to reach only 1.1 million metric tons. 
This is 32% lower than the 2005 overall wheat crop of 1.6 
million metric tons.  The lower yield is reportedly due to 
drought during the March and April growing period. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
F. WORLD BANK LOANS TO TUNISIA FOR IRRIGATION, 
   EDUCATION PROJECTS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
10. (U) The World Bank and Tunisia signed an agreement on 
July 20 in which the World Bank granted two loans to Tunisia 
in the amount of 142.8 million dollars.  The first loan will 
finance a project to support the quality of higher learning 
and will support the GOT's own project to improve economic 
competitiveness in a knowledge-based society.  The second 
loan will finance a project in western Tunisia to improve the 
quality of water used in irrigation over a sustainable period 
of time. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
G. BELGIAN LOAN TO TUNISIA TO CO-FINANCE 
   TAPARURA PROJECT 
----------------------------------------- 
 
11. (U) On June 25, Tunisian Minister of Development and 
International Cooperation Jouini and Belgian Minister of 
Finance Didier-Raynders signed an accord during the two-day 
Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership 
(FEMIP) conference in which Belgium agreed to provide Tunisia 
with a 15.05 million euro loan.  Repayable over 20 years with 
 
TUNIS 00001946  003 OF 003 
 
 
a 2% interest rate and a 10-year grace period, the loan is to 
co-finance an environmental project called 'Taparura' near 
Sfax.  The 'Taparura' project includes anti-pollution efforts 
along the north coast of Sfax, rehabilitation of Sfax 
beaches, and terraforming new land along the sea to extend 
the city's oceanfront.  With a total cost of 98 million 
dinars, the 'Taparura' project will be co-financed at a price 
equal to 52 million Tunisian dinars by a prior loan given by 
FEMIP on July 28, 2004. 
 
12. (U) The project plans to reclaim 400 hectares of land and 
to excavate phosphogypsum, a pollutant that covers an 80 
hectare area.  Sand with a volume of 6.9 million squared 
meters will be put down to cover the area and to stabilize 
the coastline.  Other parts of the project include 
constructing a 3.3 km canal to drain rainwater and protecting 
the site against waves and erosion.  Some 260 hectares of the 
land will also be set aside to create parks, housing, 
offices, and tourist and recreation sites. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
H. LONG-TERM LOAN TO ENDA INTER-ARABE FOR MICROFINANCE 
   PROJECTS IN TUNISIA 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
13. (U) On June 25, the European Investment Bank (EIB), 
through the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and 
Partnership (FEMIP), signed with Enda Inter-arabe a loan in 
the amount of 1.25 million Tunisian dinars, repayable over 
eight years at a rate of 2.5% during the two-day FEMIP 
Conference.  This loan will allow Enda Inter-arabe to extend 
its micro-credit operations in the economically-depressed 
areas of Tunisia. 
 
14. (U) The financial agreement, the first in Tunisia between 
the EIB and a non-governmental organization (NGO), was signed 
by M. Philippe de Fontaine Vive, the EIB,s head of FEMIP, 
and Essma Ben Hamida, co-director of Enda Inter-arabe.  The 
loan will allow co-financing of microenterprises in an effort 
to reduce poverty through private initiatives in Tunisia. 
The EIB loan follows a loan of 2 million Tunisian dinars 
given by Oikocredit, the world's largest private microcredit 
investment company, signed at the beginning of June 2006. 
BALLARD