After waking up to the
beautiful sounds of construction next to our rooms, we decided, in
the beauty of the sunny Tunisian morning, to go to a traditional
Hammam. We divided the group in two, and for the first time so far,
boys and girls went their separate ways around town (...it was
difficult, not going to lie). The boys found what the Lonely Planet
guide describes as the best Hammam in Tunis. The girls walked quickly
around the Medina to find the Hammam- and finally decided not to go
in (fail!). On their way out of the Medina, they met Ali (number
two), a sweet middle aged man who showed them around museums and
UNESCO sights at true turbo speed.
The group reunited again
around noon at the hotel. We rushed to get ready and get to the
European Delegation in Tunis. It is located near the lake, not far
from the airport. We were very sad to hear our first speaker had to
cancel. We waited until 15:00 in a nice cafe in front of the
Delegation and we sat on the terrace, in the sun. We were all
incredibly happy to sit outside in the bright sun, after a few months
of central European winter.
Regis Meritan gave us a
very complete overview of the activities of the European Union in
Tunisia. He explained how the revolution last January 2011 was
completely unexpected - a large part of the Tunisian population was
resigned to the status quo of the country. People lived in
fear and they did not dare talk about politics in public. From one
day to the next, the impossible happened. People in the Delegation
and the streets started discussing politics and their grievances and
the revolution came in a sudden rush on the 14th of
January. In response to the revolutions and the challenges the new
democracies face, the EU has now changed its policies towards the
Maghreb countries. This new policy framework will change how aid is
distributed and the way policies are created, by focusing more on the
increase in budget support. In Tunisia, 80% of aid provided by the
European Commission through Europe Aid, is spent on macroeconomic
support.
After a long day's work,
we ended up in the hotel, eating pizzas and preparing for our
Conference the next morning.
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