Relationship dossier
France
Tunisia
Relationship assessment
Substantial French-Tunisian cooperation alongside colonial legacies and disagreements over migration and political developments
France toward Tunisia
+30France provides economic and development support to Tunisia and cooperates with Tunisian authorities on migration and security. French policy has also included visa restrictions that became a source of bilateral friction, while France has raised concerns about Tunisia's political trajectory.
Tunisia toward France
+20Tunisia cooperates with France on migration and security and engages in bilateral economic and political partnership. Tunisian officials have also objected to perceived external interference in domestic affairs, contributing to strain when French representatives comment on Tunisia's political developments.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines sustained economic, development, migration, and security cooperation with the enduring historical legacy of French colonial rule. Disagreements over visa policy, migration, and Tunisia's political trajectory complicate an otherwise active partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
France and Tunisia maintain substantial cooperation, including economic and development support and collaboration on migration and security. The relationship also carries the legacy of French colonial rule and has faced friction over French visa restrictions and political developments in Tunisia. French engagement has continued alongside concerns about democratic institutions, leaving the partnership cooperative but not without significant tensions.
Areas of tension
- French visa restrictions on Tunisian nationals, introduced in 2021 and later eased.
- French criticism and concern over Tunisia's political developments and democratic institutions.
- Disputes over migration cooperation and the balance between border control and Tunisian sovereignty.
Key developments
France imposed visa restrictions on Tunisian nationals, later easing them.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Tunisia and discussed bilateral cooperation, including migration.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of current French economic and development commitments are unclear.
- The balance between migration cooperation and Tunisia's concerns about sovereignty remains uncertain.