France’s new financial commitments to support democratic transition in Tunisia stands at more than EUR 220 million a year between 2014 and 2015, according to a concept note by the Tunisian-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CTFCI) on co-operation between the two countries.
France, which remains Tunisia’s leading supplier with 16.2% of the market share in 2014 and its first customer (28.4% of the market share), still has the largest number of companies with foreign shareholding, i.e. 1,350 out of a total of 3,200 companies.
French companies or those with French shareholding employ more than 124,000 people in all business sectors in Tunisia.
According to the CTFCI note, France is also Tunisia’s first bilateral partner in public assistance to development through the French Development Agency (AFD) which has mobilized, for 5 years, an average of some EUR 150 million per year, for Tunisia.
From the Revolution of 2011 to 2014, the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of French shareholding reached 900.99 million dinars, which helped create 11,550 new jobs in various business sectors, particularly industries and services, according to the same source.
During this same period, characterized by great instability and a political and social tension, some 274 new projects were created and 296 were extended.
Despite the climate little conducive to investment and partnership, only 9 companies with French shareholding stopped activity at the end of 2014, in Tunisia, CTFCI underlines.
Contrarily, 47 new creations and 58 projects of extension were also reported at the end of the previous year.
