Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights deplores the request of the authorities to postpone the delegation to Tunisia  

"We take note of the request of the Tunisian authorities to postpone the visit of a delegation from our subcommittee to a later date. We deplore the fact that this request comes only a few days before our departure and without previous consultation, and reprove the avoidance of a meeting with the elected representatives of European citizens. We would have wished to resume a dialogue interrupted in 2023 following Tunisia's refusal to welcome a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

We hope to be able to reschedule very soon this visit to a long-standing partner who receives significant funding from the European Union. It is essential that this partnership is rooted in respect for international law. In its resolution of 27 November 2025, Parliament recalled the importance of the respect by the Tunisian authorities of their obligations under international human rights law and the EU-Tunisia Association Agreement.

We remain more open than ever to dialogue with the authorities on these issues. We are also convinced of the importance of maintaining sustained exchanges with the Tunisian people, including with civil society organisations and human rights defenders, to whom we reiterate our full support."

Background

This visit was to be the first official visit of the 10th parliamentary term (2024-2029) of the European Parliament to Tunisia and since the refusal of the Tunisian authorities to welcome a mission of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to Tunisia in September 2023.

Mandated by the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament to pay an official visit to Tunisia, the delegation of the subcommittee on human rights intended to focus its visit on issues related to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, with a view to a constructive dialogue based on the mutually agreed commitments to international human rights standards and principles, notably in the framework of the 1995 EU-Tunisia Association Agreement, the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding and the European Union's financial assistance, and to discuss the prospects for cooperation in this area.

Contact:  Office of Mounir Satouri  (The Greens/EFA,FR) Chair of the Subcommittee on Human rights

+32 228 455 21 / mounir.satouri@europarl.europa.eu