TUNIS - Tunisia, which has already started the liberalisation of its economy, has strong chances to succeed in its transition process in better conditions compared with Eastern and Central European countries that had lived through similar experiences.
For Slovakia's Vice Prime Minister Ivan Miklos, "Tunisia has the necessary assets to succeed in the most important turning point in its history, if some mid- and long-term reforms are undertaken."
Mr. Miklos, who was speaking during a seminar held on Monday in Tunis on "Promoting Growth and Investment During Transition," mentioned the example of his country that had managed in ten years to achieve the best economic growth in the region (GDP 4.3%), thanks to the soundness of reforms made during the transition period.These reforms, he added, had focused mainly on reviewing the taxation system, excluding all forms of exoneration and accordingly any kind of tax privilege.
For Croatia for instance, the reforms adopted had particularly concerned the banking sector's structuring and regulation, Croatian Bank (PBZ) representative Marko Skreb explained.
This solution was shared by Mr. Erik Berglof, an economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who said that the improvement of the banking performance is an essential condition "to be part of the world."
"Tunisia, which has made significant strides on the path of economic liberalisation, will not be hit by the same economic problems faced by Eastern and Central European countries during their transition from the closed communist regime to the market economy," the expert specified.
In his address at the opening plenary session, caretaker Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi said that Tunisia is on the eve of a new transition stage, during which the next government has to take up several challenges, particularly youth's employment, mainly of university graduates, re-establishment of balance between interior and coastal regions and strengthening the privileged relations with foreign partners, since "Tunisia should remain a country open to the world," he pointed out.
The interim Prime Minister added that the economic crisis in Europe, in addition to the impatience of jobless youths, will make the next government's task harder.
He pointed to the importance of attracting more investments, recalling that "his government has motivated all the world (G8, USA, Gulf countries) to contribute to the financing of scheduled projects, as part of the strategy drawn up for the next five years."
In her address, Tunisian Industry, Trade and Handicrafts Union (UTICA) Chairwoman Wided Bouchamaoui underlined that security, appeasing the social climate and ensuring the functioning of the public service are the most pressing priorities of the next government.
The seminar was held at the initiative of EBRD, the Marseilles Centre for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) and the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), as part of the initiative "From one Transition to the Other (T2T)."
This initiative seeks to prompt an exchange of experiences in matters of transition and reforms between EBRD's current countries of operation and those of the southern and eastern regions of the Mediterranean basin.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2011
