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 Italy |  Tunisia |
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Italy–Tunisia relations are foreign relations between theItalian Republic and theRepublic of Tunisia. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1957. Italy has an embassy inTunis. Tunisia has an embassy inRome, a general consulate inPalermo, 3 consulates (inGenoa,Milan, andNaples).
Both countries are full members of theUnion for the Mediterranean. There was an importantItalian community living in Tunisia before independence. There is aTunisian community in Italy; in theCOVID-19 pandemic in Italy Tunisia was one of the few nations to send army doctors to Italy.[1]
Since theUnification of Italy, there has been a considerable migration of Italians to Tunisia.[2] Today in Tunisia there are a lot of Italian communities. Conversely, the presence ofTunisians in Italy dates back to the 1980s.
In Tunisia theeconomic andpolitical crisis is relevant. The year 2015 was marked byterrorist attacks.[3] With these attacks Tunisia economic growth was limited, especially in tourism, one of the main sectors. In 2020 the economic crisis increased withCOVID-19 pandemic.[4]
To create agreements and collaborations about immigration, development and support for the Tunisian population in their country there are ongoingNegotiations between theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Tunisia andMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy.
In March 2021, abilateral agreement[5] was signed. In August 2020 ministersLuigi Di Maio andLuciana Lamorgese visited Tunisia and the aim of the visit was to reaffirm the joint commitment to a strong EU-Tunisia partnership, covering political and economic relations as well as cooperation in the field of migration.[6][2] In 2020, also, there was an agreement between Italy and theEuropean Union for migration flows[3].
The geographical proximity and the free access to the European market by Tunisia make commercial relations between the two countries quite stable.
Trade in 2020 was around 4.5 billion euros. Italy is the second supplier of the North African country, after France, with a market share of about 15% in 2020 and is its second customer.
The presence of Italian companies in Tunisia is strong with 426 active Italian companies which employ 8,836 people. They account for almost a third of all foreign-owned companies in Tunisia.[7]
Double tax agreements (1979)
On 16 May 1979, in Tunis, the Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Tunisian Republic signed theConvention to avoid double taxation in the field of income taxes and to prevent tax evasion.[8]
Bilateral investment treaty (1985)
TheBilateral investment treaty between Italy and Tunisia was signed in Rome on 17 October 1985. This treaty establishes the terms and conditions for private investments by citizens and companies of a state in the territory of the other country.[9]
In the context of energy cooperation, the presence of theTransmed gas pipeline is significant. It crosses the Mediterranean and Tunisia connects Italy to the Algerian gas fields.
On 30 November 2016, during the "Tunisia 2020" international conference,Eni and the Tunisian state companyETAP signed a further cooperation agreement for the development of energy generation projects from renewable sources.[10]
On 2 May 2019, as part of the first Italy-Tunisia intergovernmental summit, held in Tunis, the vice-premier and minister of economic development, Luigi Di Maio, signed an agreement with the Tunisian minister of industry, Slim Feriani. The agreement concerns the construction of a submarine power line between Italy and Tunisia co-financed by theEuropean Union and the energy companiesTerna andSTEG.[11]
On 2 July 2019 in Tunis, the Minister of Industry Slim Feriani and the CEO of ENIClaudio Descalzi signed a new agreement in the presence of the Prime Minister of TunisiaYoussef Chahed. It extends cooperation for the transit of Algerian natural gas through Tunisia until 2029.[12]
Historically, Italy and Tunisia are also linked on a cultural level, asmigration andcolonization during the 19th century brought large numbers of Italians to the North African country. The Italian presence supported the building of hospitals, schools, industries, small towns (the most famous beingLa Goulette), newspapers, reviews and cultural institutes. Moreover, the links between Italy and Tunisia range from culture and literature to gastronomy and even language itself, as the Tunisian language has absorbed many words from the Italian language, for examplejilat from the Italiangelato (meaning 'ice cream').
A cooperation agreement, dating back to 1997, governs cultural relations between Tunisia and Italy, managing teacher exchanges and the awarding of Scholarships and research grants. TheItalian Cultural Institute plays the important role of presenting Italian culture to consolidate cultural relations between the two countries. This state body, which depends on and answers to theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, organizes Italian language study courses with mother tongue teachers and final exams, offers translations intoArabic of literary works of significant value forItalian culture, the diffusion ofItalian cinema, arranges concerts, art exhibitions and festivals and provides information of various kinds on the Italian school system, scholarships and more. In general, the institute is concerned with spreading knowledge of Italian culture in the country.[13][14]
In 1992, a system of bribes was discovered in Italy. This illegal system also involvedBettino Craxi's political party, the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). This triggered a series of judicial enquiries that would take the name 'Mani Pulite'.
In 1994 Craxi lost his parliamentary immunity and on 12 May 1994 his passport was withdrawn because he was in danger of absconding. But it was too late because Craxi was already inHammamet protected by the President of Tunisia,Ben Ali.
Craxi entered Tunisia regularly and, thanks to an Italian-Tunisian agreement signed in the 1960s, was recognised as a political refugee. Tunisia welcomed, protected and cared for Craxi.[15] While the protests against Craxi's PSI and corruption continued in Italy, in Tunisia according to his daughter he received the affection of the people.[16]
Italy, however, could not claim anything from Tunisia on the basis of the agreement signed between the two countries in the 1960s. Nevertheless, there were several requests for Craxi's extradition.
Among those most active in the request for Craxi's extradition wereAntonio Di Pietro andDiego Novelli. On 15 July 1998, Diego Novelli, on behalf of forty deputies, presented an urgent parliamentary question to know "what initiatives" the government intended to take to obtain Craxi's extradition.[17] Novelli was answered by Enzo Lo Giudice, Craxi's lawyer, who said that the non-extradition 'does not depend on a quirk of the Tunisian government or on the complacency and inertia of the Italian government: it depends on the law, both Italian and foreign'.[18]
Craxi continued from Tunisia to participate in Italian political life through faxes and letters. In the last years of his life he suffered from numerous health problems and there was a vain attempt to negotiate his return to Italy, also for medical treatment, which was unsuccessful.
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