Tunisia will benefit from a concessional loan of €600 million granted by the European Union to fight the coronavirus pandemic. According to an April 22 statement of the EU Commission, the facility is part of a €3 billion aid program for 10 third countries in and around Europe, available for 12 months.

The financing will be used to strengthen the resilience of the Tunisian economy and to cope with a sharp decline in income due to the negative impact of the pandemic on tourism, which accounts for almost 10% of its economic activity.

IMF forecasts that the Tunisian economy, which is emerging from several years of crisis, should contract by 4.3% this year. The institution also announced a financing of $743 million to help the country in the fight against covid-19.

As a reminder, more than 909 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Tunisia. Since mid-March 2020, the country has closed its land and air borders and banned gatherings and festivals.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou