[The following statement was issued on 16 March 2012 by a diverse group of European parliamentarians calling for an audit of Tunisia`s debt to the European Union.]
With dictator Ben Ali ousted from power since 14 January 2011, Tunisia bears the burden of a public external debt amounting to $14.4 bn, which is a major obstacle to the development of the Tunisian people since repayment (capital plus interests) drains on an average an annual sum 6 times larger than the health budget. While Tunisia urgently needs all its financial resources to face the current situation, the present governor of the central bank of Tunisia is considering devoting EU 577 million from the government budget to servicing the public external debt for the year 2011.
Such a degree of indebtedness has not improved people’s living conditions, and the wealth accumulated by the Ben Ali clan over 23 years in power is proof that significant embezzlements took place with the complicity of a number of creditors.
To this we should add the amounts Tunisia has already paid against its external public debt. According to the central bank’s data, from 1970 to 2009 Tunisia repaid 2.47 bn more than it borrowed.
This is why, we the undersigned, Members of different Parliaments of Europe, both at national and European levels, call for an immediate suspension of EU debt repayment by Tunisia (with frozen interests) and an auditing of the debt. The audit, to which members of civil society must be associated, as was the case in Ecuador in 2007-2008, will shed light on what the money was borrowed for, the circumstances in which loan contracts were signed, what conditions were set, and their environmental, social and economic consequences.
The audit will make it possible to identify the illegitimate portion of the Tunisian debt, i.e. the part that did not benefit the people, but it should also serve to prevent a new cycle of illegitimate and unsustainable debt while underlining the responsibility of European creditors, the responsibility of the international financial institution in which the European member States are playing a preponderant role, and the next Tunisian government.
To sign this call, please contact Renaud Vivien from CADTM (Committee for the Abolition of the Third World Debt) : renaud@cadtm.org
Signatories:
Marie-Christine Vergiat, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Gabriele Zimmer, MPE (GUE/NGL)
François Alfonsi, MPE (Verts/ALE))
Marie-Hélène Amiable, parlementaire française (PCF)
Litsa Ammanatidou – Pashalidou, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Marie Arena, parlementaire belge (PS)
Kader Arif, MEP (S&D)
Eliane Assassi, parlementaire française (PCF)
Marie-France Beaufils, parlementaire française (PCF)
Sandrine Bélier MPE (Verts/ALE)
Malika Benarab-Attou, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Jean-Luc Bennahmias, MPE (ALDE)
Jean-Paul Besset, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Martine Billard, parlementaire française (PG)
Michel Billout, parlementaire français (PCF)
Lothar Bisky, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Philippe Blanchart, parlementaire belge (PS)
Marie-Christine Blandin, parlementaire française (Europe Ecologie – les Verts)
Nicole Borvo Cohen-Seat, parlementaire française (PCF)
Juliette Boulet, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN)
Alima Boumedienne, parlementaire française (Europe Ecologie – les Verts)
Hassan Bousetta, parlementaire belge (PS)
José Bové, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Patrick Braouezec, parlementaire français (FASE)
Eva Brems, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN !)
Bairbre de Brun, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Núria Buenaventura, parlementaire espagnole (ICV)
Marie-Georges Buffet, parlementaire française (PCF)
Hans-Ulrich Bünger, parlementaire allemand (Die Linke)
Pascal Canfin, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Monique Cerisier ben Guiga, parlementaire française (PS)
André Chassaigne, parlementaire français (PCF)
Nikolaos Chountis, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Yves Cochet, parlementaire français (Europe Ecologie – les Verts)
Laurence Cohen, parlementaire française (PCF)
Annie David, parlementaire française (PCF)
Diether Dehm, parlementaire allemand (Die Linke)
Olivier Deleuze, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN !)
Céline Delforge, parlementaire belge (ECOLO)
Karima Delli, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Michelle Demessine, parlementaire française (PCF)
Jean Desessard, parlementaire français (Europe Ecologie – les Verts)
Evelyne Didier, parlementaire française (PCF)
Iro Dioti, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Thodoris Dritsas, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Isabelle Durant, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Cornelia Ernst, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Joao Ferreira MPE (GUE/NGL)
Ilda Figueiredo MPE (GUE/NGL)
Guy Fischer, parlementaire français (PCF)
Hélène Flautre, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Karine Lalieux, parlementaire belge (PS)
Zoé Genot, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN !)
Brigitte Gonthier-Maurin, parlementaire française (PCF)
Estelle Grelier, MEP (S&D)
Catherine Grèze, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Sylvie Guillaume, MPE (S&D)
Takis Hadjigeorgiou, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Jacky Hénin, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Elie Hoarau, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Andrej Hunko, parlementaire allemand (Die Linke)
Kattrin Jadin, parlementaire belge (MR)
Eric Jadot, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN !)
Yannick Jadot, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Eva Joly, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Francizska Keller, MPE (Verts/ALE)
Zakia Khattabi, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN !)
Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, MEP (Verts/ALE)
Jürgen Klute, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Tasos Kourakis, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Mihalis Kritsotakis, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Panagiotis Lafazanis, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Karine Lalieux parlementaire belge (PS)
Philippe Lamberts MPE (Verts/ALE)
Patrick Le Hyaric, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Sabine Lösing, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Francisco Louçã, parlementaire portugais (Bloco de Esquerda)
Rachid Madrane, parlementaire belge (PS)
Noel Mamère, parlementaire français (Europe Ecologie – Les Verts)
Marisa Matias, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Alain Mathot, parlementaire belge (PS)
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Willy Meyer, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Louis Michel, MPE(ALDE)
Patrick Moriau, parlementaire belge (PS)
Vassilis Moulopoulos, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Roland Muzeau, parlementaire français (PCF)
Dimitris Papadimoulis, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Paul Daniel, parlementaire français (PCF)
Miguel Portas, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Anny Poursinoff, parlementaire française (Europe Ecologie – Les Verts)
Jack Ralite, parlementaire français (PCF)
Ivan Renar, parlementaire français (PCF)
Michèle Rivasi, MPE (Verts/ALE)
François de Rugy, parlementaire français (Europe Ecologie – Les Verts)
Fatiha Saidi, parlementaire belge (PS)
Helmut Scholz, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Mireille Schurch, parlementaire française (CRC-SPG)
Søren Søndergaard, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Thérèse Snoy, parlementaire belge (ECOLO-GROEN !
Odette Terrade, parlementaire française (PCF)
Patrice Tirolien, MPE (S&D)
Catherine Trautmann, MPE (S&D)
Kyriacos Triantaphyllide, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Alexis Tsipras, parlementaire Grèce (SYRIZA)
Dirk Van der Maelen, parlementaire belge (sp.a)
Willi Van Ooyen, parlementaire allemand (Die Linke)
Kathrin Vogler, parlementaire allemande (Die Linke)
Jean-François Voguet, parlementaire français (PCF)
Dominique Voynet, parlementaire française (Europe Ecologie – Les Verts)
Henri Weber, MEP (S&D)
Sabine Wils, MPE (GUE/NGL)
Olga Zrihen, parlementaire belge, (PS)