The Tunisian Ministry of Equipment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment have published a call for expressions of interest to select the municipalities that will benefit from the historic centre regeneration programme (PRCA). To mark the occasion, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Agence française de développement (AFD) have reaffirmed their commitment to support and assist local authorities working to protect and preserve their historic urban heritage.

Between them, AFD and the EIB will provide €12 million (TND 39 million) of financing to the PRCA programme in equal contributions. The objective of the programme is to revive historic centres (neighbourhoods dating back to the 19^th and 20^th centuries and earlier) and medinas, while preserving their economic, historical and social characteristics in an integrated manner. This will involve renovation work, in particular on roads, water and sewerage systems and public lighting, which will improve the local environment and living conditions for residents. Measures will also be taken to restore the role of these neighbourhoods as attractive business centres, driving growth and employment.

The PRCA is a particularly innovative programme in terms of governance and is directly linked to the ongoing decentralisation process in Tunisia. The municipalities will thus be at the forefront of the PRCA, leading a broader discussion on how to integrate their historic centres into the local urban, economic and social fabric, and managing an urban regeneration project developed jointly with members of civil society, in close collaboration and with the support of institutional partners.

Jean-Luc Revéreault, Head of the EIB Representation to Tunisia, said:“The EIB is proud to be supporting local authorities faced with the urgent need of reviving their old and historic centres in a sustainable manner. This call for expressions of interest is an important step in the programme’s implementation and I hope that many municipalities will be able to apply. By renovating and rehabilitating these neighbourhoods, we will increase their economic attractiveness while improving the day-to-day lives of Tunisians.”

The Director of AFD’s Tunis Office Yazid Safir said: “The old centres of Tunisia are rich in heritage and history that must be protected and preserved, but they are also where many Tunisians live and work – they are business and cultural centres that shape the country’s urban identities. Slowing down and reversing depopulation, property deterioration, impoverishment and marginalisation is a top priority for Tunisia and for a partner like AFD. The call for projects aimed at municipalities is designed to promote integrated regeneration operations in historic centres, while respecting their specific characteristics and circumstances as best as possible. It is important to involve all of civil society in projects of this scale to achieve the five components of the PRCA, namely the rehabilitation of basic urban infrastructure, the improvement of public spaces, the preservation of cultural, architectural and urban heritage, the promotion and revival of economic, commercial and artisanal activities, and the improvement of housing.”

Further information on the historic centre regeneration programme is available on the programme’s website: https://prca.gov.tn/

Background information

European Investment Bank

The EIB operates in over 160 countries. In the Mediterranean region, it is committed to helping the Mediterranean partner countries achieve sustainable development and growth. The Bank has two core investment priorities in the region: to create an investment-friendly environment and to provide greater support to the private sector. It also seeks to promote dialogue between the Euro-Mediterranean partners.

Further details are available at: EIB in the region Economic Resilience Initiative

Agence Française de Développement

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group implements France’s policy on development and international solidarity.

Comprised of AFD, which finances the public sector and NGOs; Proparco, which finances the private sector; and soon, Expertise France for technical cooperation, the Group finances, supports and accelerates transitions towards a more resilient and sustainable world.

We are building – with our partners – shared solutions, with and for the people of the Global South.  Our teams are active in more than 4,000 projects in the field, in the French overseas departments and some 115 countries, including areas in crisis. 

We strive to protect the common good – promoting peace, biodiversity and a stable climate, as well as gender equality, health and education. It’s our way of contributing to the commitment that France and the French people have made to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals. Towards a world in common.

Further details are available at: www.afd.fr

Lawmakers in the European Parliament grilled the director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency on Tuesday (1 December) over migrant pushbacks in the Mediterranean, with left-wing political groups calling for his resignation.

A number of media reports in October uncovered evidence that the agency, known as Frontex, was involved in carrying out “illegal pushbacks” of migrants on six occasions in the Aegean Sea, at the border between Turkey and Greece.

Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri told MEPs that “in the time slots on the days [reported in the media], the assets that were mentioned, in particular the Romanian and Portuguese vessels, were deployed but there was no evidence that they were engaged in pushbacks activities”.

Leggeri said, however, that on the night of 18-19 April, an autonomous Frontex plane recorded via live streaming a “suspicious case” involving a vessel of the Greek coastguard, which prompted Leggeri to send a letter to the Greek minister of maritime affairs.

A similar incident involving a Danish helicopter pilot who “wanted to issue a serious incident report” was also reported at the end of July, prompting Leggeri to send a letter to the Greek authorities.

Sophie in ‘t Veld, a Dutch MEP from the centrist Renew Europe political group, reacted by asking: “Why not terminate the operation, why not suspend funding? Why did you think it was sufficient to write letters to the Greek authorities which have been routinely systematically denying any allegation, even if there was substantial evidence?”

Leggeri agreed that “letters are not enough”. However, he explained that “in the system of the European Union… if a minister sends a letter to the director of an EU agency and says, ‘everything was according to the law,’ I cannot say ‘I don’t trust you’”.

The Frontex chief added that the agency was at the time operating in the context of “geopolitical confrontations” involving Turkish military fighters surrounding Frontex planes and “almost daily shooting coming from the Turkish side at the land border.”

“Because of all these situations, I also asked the Commission, but also the EU institutions to give me political and legal interpretation and guidance on how to take into account so-called hybrid threats, when security or defence is at stake where we are physically deployed.”

Leggeri welcomed an independent inquiry launched by the European Ombudsman into how Frontex deals with alleged breaches of fundamental rights and proposed a full-fledged independent inquiry by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.

He also agreed with MEPS who suggested that “some monitoring should be done by external entities which are not embedded in Frontex.”

Green MEP Tineke Strik commented, however, that it was “worrying that we depend on the decision of the EU Ombudsman to do this.”

She added that “Frontex should have an effectively functioning fundamental rights system.”

“I would like to call upon all political groups also to really seriously consider if we as Parliament shouldn’t establish a formal inquiry committee on this,” Strik said during the meeting.

Several MEPs also questioned why the agency still has not hired the 40 independent fundamental rights monitors required by its mandate.

Leggeri replied that he had published a vacancy notice for a fundamental rights officer last year, but was “forced to withdraw it because it was said that it’s not a managerial post”.

The director explained that it took months of back and forth with Commission services to determine if the person in charge of the 40 monitors is a manager, which explains the delays in recruitment.

Political groups on the left were unimpressed and called for Leggeri to resign.

“Following the hearing, S&D MEPs concluded Mr Leggeri’s position at the head of Frontex is not sustainable, especially in light of the important role for Frontex in the new Pact on Migration and Asylum,” the group said in a statement.

“We need to ensure that there are impartial procedures in place to judge what’s going on,” said leftist MEP Sira Rego.

“Given your responses, which have been evasive to say the least, I think you should resign, sir,” she added, echoing a previous statement by the leftist group in the European Parliament.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic and Frédéric Simon]

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The European Council on Tuesday approved a set of conclusions in response to a call made in October 2020 to prepare a common approach in respect of debt relief for African countries.

According to a press statement, made available to PANA, the conclusions highlight the increasing debt vulnerability in low-income countries, particularly in Africa, and underscore the European Union’s support for a coordinated international approach on debt relief efforts for African countries.

The Council welcomed the G20 – Paris Club Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), which offers a temporary debt moratorium to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its extension until 30 June 2021 with the possibility of a further extension by six months.

It commits to a full and transparent implementation of this initiative.

The Council also recognises that for countries with unsustainable debt levels further debt relief may be required. It welcomes the G20 agreement on a ‘Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI’ as a major step forward in the sovereign debt restructuring international architecture.

“In this context, it advocates the negotiation of debt restructuring where necessary, on a case-by-case basis, while ensuring strong conditionality on public financial management, anti-corruption frameworks and domestic resource mobilisation in the context of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme,” the statement said.

In addition, the Council stressed that debt transparency is critical for a sound assessment of debt sustainability, debtor government accountability, and to enable informed decisions for borrowers and creditors in the context of debt relief efforts.

“It takes the view that all public debt data should therefore be disclosed and supports international efforts aimed at strengthening debt transparency in low-income countries,” the statement concluded. (PANA/NAN)

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