Day: October 21, 2023

The government will endeavour to curb wage costs over the next year, as they will rise by 4.1% compared with 2023, by restricting new hirings to 13,586 posts, with the implementation of a set of urgent reforms and the enforcement of the September 15, 2022 agreement reached with the UGTT. The government explained its approach to curb wage costs in its report on the 2024 State budget, which stipulates that 6,000 persons will be integrated as part of measures to regulate the situation of construction site workers in 2024, whose number excceeds 656,000. In order to implement the plan to curb wage costs to nearly TND 23.7 billion in 2024, nearly 13.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 39.6% of the State budget expenditures, with a slight reduction compared with 2023, the government recommends rationalising the wage increase programme. The government considers an increase of around TND 1 billion compared with 2023, due to the recruitment planned for 2024 and the adjustment of recruitment for 2023 by TND 270 million and the annual financial impact of the general wage increase programme by TND 780 million. The government will earmark TND 100 million for promotions in 2024, modify promotions for 2023 and TND 300 million for retirement in 2024 and adjust retirement for last year. The new hirings are divided between 2,372 positions for the Ministry of Education, 3,094 for the Ministry of Defence, 1,998 for the Interior Ministry, 820 for training school graduates and 3,000 positions for the Health Ministry.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The second edition of the International Fair of Energy Transition «SITE 2023" will be held from October 25 to 27 at the headquarters of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), on the initiative of the National Chamber of Photovoltaic Unions (CSPV), in partnership with the Borj Cedria Technopark and with the support of projects from the GIZ Energy and Climate Programme. This second edition, which will be attended by key national and international stakeholders in the energy sector, aims to promote the energy transition, foster partnerships and raise awareness of technologies, innovations and financing opportunities, according to a CSPV press release. Several exhibitions, a series of thematic conferences, a round table and a technical workshop are on the agenda. Strategic, political, technical and financial aspects will be addressed at the conferences by experts from the energy and financial sectors, with the active participation of civil society and technical training centres. The main topics to be discussed will be the achievements and challenges of the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors, innovation, energy storage, electric mobility and financing the energy transition. Participants will have the opportunity to meet the various players in the energy value chain, including public enterprises, distributors and renewable energy equipment manufacturers, in a single exhibition space. Tunisia has revised its target for the share of renewable energy in electricity generation from 30% to 35% by 2030. The goal is to have 8,530 MW of renewable energy capacity for electricity generation by 2035. Energy efficiency and the extensive use of renewable energy are the main ways the country is focusing on to further control primary energy demand.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

(TAP)- Tunisia's commercial phosphate exports from early January hit 187,500 tonnes - an unmatched level since 2012, said Director of shipping centres at the Gafsa Phosphate Company (French : CPG) Maher Rouached. This follows a September shipment of 7, 260 tonnes from the port of Sfax to Spain and Ireland. Exports, mainly to Brazil and European countries, are the double of the 2022 export figures- a sign sales are picking up. Commercial phosphate exports in 2022 totalled 90,000 tonnes with Asia and Europe being the largest destinations. This in addition to the resumption of exports to some markets after a ten-year halt. In spite of sales trending upwards, the company fell short of its 2023 goal as the exported quantity is well below half the target quantity. The CPG eyes no less than a 400,000 tonnes figure in 2023 for the Asia, South America and Europe target markets, company officials said earlier this year.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The government is forecasting a budget deficit of around TND 12.3 billion for the whole of 2023, equivalent to 7.7% of GDP. This contrasts with the original 2023 budget law, which projected a deficit of TND 8.5 billion, or 5.5% of GDP, according to the amended 2023 budget law recently released by the Ministry of Finance. Taking into account contributions and revenues from the sale of confiscated assets, this deficit is estimated at around TND 10.7 billion, or 6.8% of GDP. Debt service is expected to amount to TND 20.8 billion, a slight decrease of 1.3% compared to the projections of the 2023 budget law. Principal debt would account for almost 72% (around TND 15 billion) of total debt service, while interest payments would make up the remaining 28% (TND 5.8 billion). It is noteworthy that domestic debt service is projected at TND 12 billion in 2023, while external debt service is projected at TND 8.7 billion. In terms of outstanding public debt, the government expects it to exceed TND 127.1 billion, equivalent to 80.2% of GDP. This contrasts with the 2023 budget law's estimate of TND 114.8 billion.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Nabil Ammar on Friday held a working session with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani and the ministerial delegation accompanying him, including Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Labour and Social Policies Marina Elvira Calderone and a high-level technical mission. The latter are in Tunisia to conduct "political consultations" and forge a "bilateral partnership" in the labour and food safety fields, according to a Foreign Department press release. The working session offered the opportunity to discuss the "dangerous turn" taken by the situation in the occupied territories and to review "its impact on the region in the light of the Israeli atrocities committed against the unarmed Palestinian people." Nabil Ammar decried in this regard, the Israeli violations, which have reached an unprecedented level of brutality against the Palestinian people in Gaza, considering that these acts of barbarity amount to a "disgrace" for humanity as a whole. He also urged his Italian counterpart to intervene with the European Union and other supporters of Israeli aggression who make "great speeches about human rights" to put an end to it and stop targeting civilians and committing crimes of genocide and forced displacement in clear violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, universal values and human rights. The FM reminded the Italian official that the European Union and the entire international community have a "moral responsibility." It is up to them, he said, to take "concrete and tangible" measures to guarantee protection for the Palestinian people, to provide them with the urgent and immediate humanitarian aid they need and, ultimately, to achieve their legitimate rights in building an independent and sovereign State with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital. The Italian Foreign Minister underlined for his part, his country's rejection of "targeting civilians" and its support for the "two-state solution" and the "peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict," saying that he had come to Tunisia "bearing a message of peace" and that his country "stands at an equal distance between all sides in service of peace in the region. In terms of bilateral cooperation, the working session provided an opportunity to emphasise the long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation binding Tunisia and Italy. It was also an opportunity to reaffirm the two countries' willingness to further scale up this cooperation in the investment, partnership, employment and vocational and diplomatic training fields in the mutual interest of both countries. The two sides discussed the issue of irregular migration and ways of dealing with it as part of a global approach aimed at encouraging legal migration, curbing irregular migration, combating human trafficking and giving young Tunisians access to job opportunities in Italy. At the end of the working session, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the management of migratory flows, making available an annual quota of four thousand (4,000) non-seasonal residence permits for a period of three years to Tunisian workers in Italy.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) has completed the first phase of updating electoral data and will move on to the second phase, which will last until December 8, its president Farouk Bouasker said Saturday. He called on Tunisians to use all available means to check the polling stations and update the data in the permanent and mobile offices set up for this purpose. For his part, Ridha Missaoui, executive chairman of the ISIE, said that the electoral body had contacted more than 1.6 million households, or almost 45% of the total number of households in the country. He pointed out that the ISIE had adopted a communication strategy, implemented in cooperation with various media partners and local and regional civil society, in order to facilitate communication. The results of the first phase of updating showed more than 480,000 updates, an average of 20,000 per day, he said, adding that the number of registered voters now stands at 9 million and 160 thousand. Regarding the period for receiving applications, Missaoui said that the ISIE had granted a 10-day period, the longest period granted by the electoral commission in relation to all previous elections, he added. According to the Executive Chairman, 27 centres have been opened in all regions to receive these candidacies. On another level, he pointed out that the ISIE had opened the way for applications for accreditation to observe the elections. As of last Friday, 917 applications had been received, including 320 journalists and 597 observers. Missaoui said the accreditation applications would be closed at the end of the last week before the elections.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The spokesperson for the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), Tlili Mansri, said Saturday that no clear legislative text has been published on the remuneration if any of members of local and regional councils to be elected in December. In a statement to TAP at a press conference held by ISIE, Mansri said that the constitution stipulates that an organic law will be drawn up by the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) to determine the prerogatives, workload, pay and legal system for members of local and regional councils, district councils and the National Council of Regions and Districts. "An organic law to this effect will be promulgated, probably before the announcement of the final results," he added. The spokesperson also pointed out that the law governing parliament would be applied to the National Council of Regions and Districts, as it will form the second chamber of parliament. The local elections, scheduled for December 24, will be held in 4,713 polling stations in 2,153 local constituencies. At the end of these elections, 279 local councils will be established. They will form the main nucleus for the formation of Regional Councils, District Councils and the National Council of Regions and Districts (2nd Chamber of Parliament).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse