German-Tunisian relations

The relations between Germany and Tunisia are maintained since the 1950s. Before the Arab Spring, they were characterized by loose cooperation. There was selective cooperation in the areas of tourism and light industry. For German companies, Tunisia , which has no raw materials and has a small market and low purchasing power, was of little importance. In addition, it was allied with France , so that German-Tunisian relations were not of particular importance either for Germany or for Tunisia.

However, the events of the Arab Spring showed the German government that North Africa is of great importance to Germany, not least due to migration from the region to Central Europe, and that EU policy towards the North African states was in some cases flawed. Since France had lost credibility in Tunisia through its support for dictator Ben Ali , Germany offered the Tunisian government help in coping with the transition. The German Foreign Minister Westerwelle was one of the first Western politicians to visit Tunisia after the Arab Spring. On behalf of the Foreign Office , he offered Tunisia a transformation partnership. The Tunisian government followed the German recommendation for an integrative transformation process involving civil society.

In the first three years after the coup, the volume of German aid to Tunisia was around 250 million euros, of which 60 million euros were debt rescheduling . Several political foundations, the German Academic Exchange Service and the Goethe Institute developed their own programs for the country. Germany also offered the Tunisian government recognition and legitimacy on the international stage, especially after the election victory of the conservative-religious Ennahda , which was accompanied by warnings from France, for example.

During the protests in 2013, Foreign Minister Westerwelle and Ambassador Jens Plötner mediated on site, with the result that an expert government was set up.

Germany maintains an embassy in Tunis . An honorary consul is active in Djerba .

Web links

Commons : German-Tunisian Relations - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Germany and Tunisia. (No longer available online.) German Embassy in Tunis, September 1, 2015, archived from the original on February 9, 2018 ; accessed on February 8, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
^ Edmund Ratka, Bernhard Stahl: Germany and Tunisia - Friendship in the making? In: Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krüger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren (eds.): Tunisia's international relations since the "Arab Spring" . Routledge, London, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-73820-1 , pp. 130 .
^ Edmund Ratka, Bernhard Stahl: Germany and Tunisia - Friendship in the making? In: Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krüger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren (eds.): Tunisia's international relations since the "Arab Spring" . Routledge, London, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-73820-1 , pp. 132 .
^ ^A ^b Edmund Ratka, Bernhard Stahl: Germany and Tunisia - Friendship in the making? In: Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krüger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren (eds.): Tunisia's international relations since the "Arab Spring" . Routledge, London, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-73820-1 , pp. 135 .
↑ German diplomatic missions in your country of travel - Tunisia. Federal Foreign Office, accessed February 8, 2018 .

[1] Germany and Tunisia. (No longer available online.) German Embassy in Tunis, September 1, 2015, archived from the original on February 9, 2018 ; accessed on February 8, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2

[ratka130-2] Edmund Ratka, Bernhard Stahl: Germany and Tunisia - Friendship in the making? In: Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krüger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren (eds.): Tunisia's international relations since the "Arab Spring" . Routledge, London, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-73820-1 , pp. 130 .

[ratka132-3] Edmund Ratka, Bernhard Stahl: Germany and Tunisia - Friendship in the making? In: Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krüger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren (eds.): Tunisia's international relations since the "Arab Spring" . Routledge, London, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-73820-1 , pp. 132 .

[ratka135-4] A ^b Edmund Ratka, Bernhard Stahl: Germany and Tunisia - Friendship in the making? In: Tasnim Abderrahim, Laura-Theresa Krüger, Salma Besbes and Katharina McLarren (eds.): Tunisia's international relations since the "Arab Spring" . Routledge, London, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-73820-1 , pp. 135 .

[5] German diplomatic missions in your country of travel - Tunisia. Federal Foreign Office, accessed February 8, 2018 .