Spotlight: Tunisia 2018 budget focuses on education, security

TUNIS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Tunisian state budget, dictated by the 2018 finance law, has shown remarkable rise in education and security, observed some analysts.

The new budget amounts to 35.85 million dinars (14.34 million U.S. dollars), and grows 4.3 percent compared to that of 2017. It is based on certain constants such as growth of 3 percent, an average of 54 dollars for a barrel of oil, and a budget deficit controlled at 4.9 percent against 6.1 percent in 2017.

The Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said that the government will mitigate the budget deficit to 5 percent by 2020, as forecast of this new finance law 2018 expects a debt ratio of 71.4 percent of GDP, or 76,200 million dinars (30,408 million dollars) against 69.6 percent of GDP for the current fiscal year.

GOV'T FOCUSES ON EDUCATION, SECURITY

The budget of the ministry of education records an increase, which some local observers called "spectacular," of 13 percent in the overall budget, equivalent to 4,925 million dinars (1,970 million dollars).

Approved with 101 votes in favor, three abstentions and six refusals, the budget of the ministry of the interior for 2018 records an increase of 12.6 percent compared to 2017 to reach 2.88 million dinars (1.15 million dollars).

Meanwhile, the budget of ministry of defense stands at 2.233 million dinars (890,000 dollars), with an increase of 10.7 percent compared to 2017.

Some analysts say that this increase in budgets is explained by the "war" waged by the Tunisian government against religious extremism that planned in the last three years a series of attacks in various governorates of the country, even in the capital Tunis.

The Minister of Interior Lotfi Braham confirmed the acquisition of 3,500 vehicles for a cost of 140 million dinars (56 million dollars) between 2015 and 2016. "For the year 2018, an envelope of 122 million dinars (48.8 million dollars) will be injected for the acquisition of security equipments," he said, addressing to the deputies of the Assembly of People's Representatives.

In addition, he announced the intention of his department is to negotiate the necessary financial means to develop 19 border posts with Algeria and Libya, for an envelope of 12 million dinars (4.8 million dollars).

"A TIMID DIPLOMATIC BUDGET"

The budget of the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was approved with 138 votes in favor and 14 against. In total, this represents 211,324 million dinars (84,529 million dollars) with an increase of 6.8 percent compared to the 2017 budget.

"Such a budget will not achieve the ambitions of Tunisian diplomacy," said Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemais Jhinaoui, at the meeting of the approval of the budget of his department.

According to the head of the Tunisian diplomacy, this envelope will serve the coverage of the expenses of the central administration of 90 diplomatic missions, of which only 10 is on the African continent.

"Our representations are still weak in Latin America, and our presence is timid in Asia or even nonexistent in other countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, even in Europe, we have no representations in some Eastern European countries that express an interest in us, including Denmark," the Tunisian minister also regretted.

TOURISM KEY SECTOR OF THE TUNISIAN ECONOMY

Considered as one of the key sectors of the country's economic recovery, Tunisian tourism is registering towards the end of this year, the beginnings of a recovery after three years of mourning by terrorist attacks targeting governorates, known to be a showcase for foreign tourists.

Proof of this is the suspension of travel restrictions to Tunisia from several European countries including Scandinavian countries and recently Britain, in addition to the return of world-renowned tour operators -- including Thomas Cook and TUI -- which have officially resumed activity on the Tunisian destination.

For the year 2018, the budget of the ministry of tourism amounts to 151,032 million dinars (60,412 million dollars), of which 63,032 million dinars (25,212 million dollars) for management expenses, up 7.3 percent while development expenditures are estimated a 2.9 percent growth compared to 2017.

The Tunisian Minister of Tourism Salma Elloumi announced that tourist revenues have reached, until Nov. 20, 2017, an envelope of 2,524 million dinars (1,009 million dollars), which is an increase of 17 percent compared to the same period of last year.

Tunisia has so far welcomed about 6,122,000 tourists, a growth of 24 percent compared to 2016 in the same period. According to Elloumi, this performance is explained by the rise in the European market, including in France, Germany and Britain. Enditem