The new director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) office in Tunisia, George Akhalkatsi, has reaffirmed, on Friday, November 6, 2026, the European financial institution’s commitment to strengthening its cooperation and partnership relations with Tunisia.
This statement was made during a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Planning, Samir Abdelhafidh, devoted to cooperation prospects for the coming period, the monitoring of ongoing projects and support for the private sector, according to a ministry statement.
EBRD seeks to strengthen its cooperation with Tunisia
During the meeting, George Akhalkatsi expressed the EBRD’s interest in consolidating its partnership with Tunisia.
He notably conveyed the EBRD’s readiness to intensify consultations with the Tunisian authorities to define the next cooperation programs and to strengthen coordination in monitoring the projects currently under way.
This approach aims to continue the partnership between Tunisia and the European financial institution, through closer consultation on development programs and projects.
Accelerating the implementation of development projects
For his part, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Samir Abdelhafidh, stressed the importance of the financial and technical cooperation established between Tunisia and the EBRD.
He reaffirmed Tunisia’s willingness to consolidate this partnership, in line with the priorities and development programs defined for the next five-year plan.
The minister also emphasized the need to strengthen coordination among the various stakeholders to ensure more effective project monitoring and to help accelerate their implementation.
This coordination, according to the directions presented during the meeting, is an important element to improve the pace of execution of projects benefiting from EBRD cooperation.
Support for the private sector among the priorities
The discussions also covered the EBRD programs aimed at supporting the Tunisian private sector.
Samir Abdelhafidh highlighted the importance of these cooperation mechanisms, noting the need to strengthen them and diversify their areas of intervention.
The development of the partnership in this area is thus among the axes discussed during the meeting, alongside financial and technical cooperation and the monitoring of development projects.
Towards new cooperation programs
The meeting between Samir Abdelhafidh and George Akhalkatsi falls within the framework of preparing the next cooperation programs between Tunisia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Both parties expressed their willingness to continue consultations and to strengthen coordination to support ongoing projects and explore possibilities for expanding the partnership.
The communiqué, however, did not specify the amounts of new funding or additional projects that could be included within this cooperation.
