Spain&ndash;Tunisia relations

Spain–Tunisia relations

Spain-Tunisia relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Tunisia has an embassy in Madrid and two consulates in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. Spain has an embassy in Tunisia.
Diplomatic relations
Tunisia is a leading political and commercial partner for Spain, and there is diplomatic harmony between the two countries. There is a clear willingness on the part of both countries to improve and deepen bilateral relations in all orders in this new phase of democratic transition. President Rodríguez Zapatero was the first Head of Government to visit on 2 March 2011, the democratic Tunisia to express the support and solidarity of his Government and the Spanish people with the post-revolutionary democratic process.
In March 2012 Tunisia visited the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel García Margallo. In June 2014 he made a new visit and SEAEX made another visit in April 2015. Good political harmony is based on common priorities and perceptions on various agendas: stability and security in the Mediterranean. The Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborhood and Cooperation (signed in 1995 and ratified in 1996), was the first one that Tunisia signed with a European Union country. The good image that Spain enjoys in Tunisia is due to historical reasons (the "Andalusians", as the Moors who settled in these lands are designated here, contributed knowledge and wealth and remain a sign of distinction), of geographical proximity and tuning of strategic interests, as well as of tourist exchanges.
Economic relations
Trade between the two countries, although they have shown an increase in the last four years, are far from those of the main European competitors in Spain, which are France, Italy and (Germany) . In 2013, Spanish exports to Tunisia were €905 million, with a 9% decrease compared to the previous year. Imports decreased 2.6% to €560 million. The coverage rate was 162%.
In 2014 Spain was the seventh supplier, with a market share of 4.1%; and fifth customer, with a 3.5% share. With regard to the exchanges of Tunisia with the EU, it ranks fourth in relation to the other countries in both categories (Source: National Institute of Statistics of Tunisia).
In 2014, Spanish exports to Tunisia were €911.7 million, with a slight increase of 0.7% compared to the previous year. Imports, meanwhile, decreased 27.5%, reaching a value of €405.7 million. The coverage rate was 224.7%.
On the export side, the following stand out: fuels and petroleum oils (23%); automobiles and automotive components (8%); cereals, especially wheat (5.5%); clothing fabrics (4.4%); electrical equipment (4%); steel products and their manufactures (3.9%).
Among the imports were: fuels and lubricants (18.4%); female clothing (15.8%); frozen molluscs and crustaceans (9%); male clothing (7.6%); intimate-bathroom fashion (7.2%); electrical equipment (4%).
From the Spanish perspective, in 2013, Tunisia has positioned itself as our customer number 41 and our provider number 56. From the Spanish perspective, in 2014 Tunisia stood as our customer number 44 and our supplier number 69. The balance The balance of bilateral services remains favorable to Spain thanks to the transport sector.
Cooperation
In November 2013, the Technical Cooperation Office was closed. From that date the follow-up of the cooperation program in Tunisia is carried out by the Head of Spanish Cooperation at the Spanish Embassy in Tunisia.
The main framework in which Spanish Cooperation works in Tunisia is the one that constitutes the Masar Program, an accompaniment program for democratic governance processes in the Arab world. Since the 2011 revolution, efforts in Tunisia have focused on supporting civil society initiatives and strengthening democratic governance.

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