Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and the Tunisian Minister for Regional Development, Mr. Abderrazek Zouari, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on regionalization and employment.

The Assembly of European Regions is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe with 270 regions from 34 countries and 16 interregional organisations. Now this organisation reached an agreement with the authorities and civil society in Tunisia in order to support the growth of this new democratic Tunisia, and to fight the scourge of unemployment. Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions stated, during the signing of the protocol, that AER will contribute through internships, among our voluntary member Regions. Increased mobility, as well as the introduction of professional integration programs, will be the goals of this memorandum. Therefore, the Assembly will draw its inspiration from its past experiences in the field of mobility and professional education. This includes the programme «Eurodyssey», which allows 600 young Europeans each year to acquire a first professional experience (from 3 to 7 months) abroad, independently from their field of study.

The President also highlighted that the reforms for the regionalization of territories will be a major challenge for the Tunisian economy’s reflection and the deepening of the democratic process. AER has already proposed to share its knowledge and methods of work with the Tunisian authorities. Working groups gathering regional European politicians, representatives of Tunisian ministries, experts of the Tunisian-European chambers of commerce as well as actors from the Tunisian civil society are to present their conclusions and recommendations by the end of June.