Fifteen entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors travel to Tunisia tomorrow to explore potential new investment opportunities and to boost trade links.
The business delegation's visit is organised by Malta Enterprise, with the support of the Maltese Embassy in Tunisia. Maltese business people will attend a forum on business opportunities and cooperation between the two countries at the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts in Tunis, and will later hold a series of pre-arranged one-to-one meetings.
Events are expected to focus on the construction industry, the renewable energy sector, chemicals, medical devices, food, clothing, online trading, and management and technical consultancy.
Visits are planned to a leading technopole specialised in ICT, a pharmaceutical company and a national state company involved in renewable energy.
Malta's Ambassador and Malta Enterprise's regional leader for the country have already met the president of the Tunis Chamber of Commerce, Mounir Mouakhar.
Since diplomatic relations were established in 1967, Malta and Tunisia have signed a total of 28 bilateral agreements. The trade gap has narrowed: in 2008 imports and exports amounted to €13 million.
With a population of 10.5 million and a GDP exceeding $40 billion, Tunisia is one of the European Union's most established trading partners in the Mediterranean.
It was the first country in the area to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union 15 years ago, and began dismantling tariffs on bilateral EU trade even earlier. It was also the first Mediterranean country to enter a free trade area with the EU.
The EU is now Tunisia's first trading partner, accounting for 72.5 per cent of its imports (mostly machinery and transport equipment, textile and clothing, chemicals and energy) and three-quarters of its exports (mostly textile and clothing, machinery, and other manufacturing products; and energy and agricultural products).
The EU is also the largest foreign investor in Tunisia and the country's main market for the tourism industry.
Tunisia has started to implement the new Pan-Euro-Mediterranean system of cumulation of origin. When applied, the system will allow Tunisia to export goods made with components imported from elsewhere without losing preferential access to the EU market. This encourages productive industry and the creation of regional markets.
The trade mission returns on Thursday.