The cooperation between the EU and Tunisia has developed under an Association Agreement, signed in 1995, and was further strengthened with a Privileged Partnership in 2012.
Research and Innovation (R&I) is a key building block of the relationship: In June 2003, Tunisia was the first country in the southern Mediterranean to sign a Scientific and Technological agreement with the EU. It entered into force in April 2004. Since 1 January 2016, it is the only African and the only Arab country associated to Horizon 2020. Tunisia benefited from the Policy Support Facility (PSF) Specific Support under Horizon 2020, which recommendations were compiled in a final report presented in September 2019 to the respective stakeholders in Tunisia during the TESI conference, Journées “Tuniso-Européenne Science et Innovation”.
Tunisia also plays an active role in the two Euro-Mediterranean initiatives: PRIMA and BLUEMED.