Tunisia: Uncertainty about EU free trade agreement

The last remaining customs barriers between Tunisia and the EU were lifted when the Free Trade Zone Agreement became effective January 1st, but Tunisian opinion remains mixed over the measure. Noting that Tunisia is the first south Mediterranean country to establish a free trade zone with the EU, Businessmen's Association Secretary-General Hedi Jilani said the country has entered into a new stage "full of challenges and rich in promises and ambitions".