BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Union has approved the first part of an annual assistance package in the amount of 116.8 million euro (about $128 million) for Tunisia to improve security, socio-economic and regional development, the European Commission said in a press release on Friday.
"A strong and democratic Tunisia is vital for the stability of Europe's neighbourhood. Bolstering our partnership is a top priority for the EU, as the swift adoption of this first package of EU assistance to Tunisia clearly demonstrates," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said, as quoted in the release.
The whole EU assistance package for Tunisia in 2015 will amount to $317 million, according to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The European Union has been supporting Tunisia financially since the 2011 revolution in the country, gradually increasing the amount of aid. The bloc decided to intensify its assistance in the aftermath of the March and June terrorist attacks in the country, the statement said.
In March, gunmen opened fire in the National Bardo Museum, close to the Parliament Building in the Tunisian capital, killing 21 people. In June, a gunman indiscriminately fired at tourists on a beach in the Tunisian city of Sousse, killing 38 people.
