Day: August 5, 2017

A Solar Plant in the Sahara Could Help Power the EU

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As Europe tries to wean itself off of fossil fuels, it looks toward renewable energy like wind and solar. But many parts of Europe aren’t exactly known for their sunny weather, which limits how much clean energy the continent can produce. To remedy that, the EU is looking to build a gigantic solar farm across the Mediterranean in Tunisia that could power much of Europe. The solar farm would produce 4.5 gigawatts of power from the Sahara desert in Tunisia. Underwater cables would transmit that power to Malta, Italy, and…

Algeria’s Closed Border Syndrome

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Algeria, Africa’s largest country, shares borders with 6 countries, all of them are closed with the exception of its land frontiers with Tunisia. This closed-border attitude is reflective of a lack of a neighborhood policy in an increasingly integrated continent where collective efforts are the best means to countering trans-border challenges. With Morocco, the borders have been closed following a unilateral decision by the Algerian regime in 1994 in response to Morocco’s decision to impose visa on Algerian citizens out of security concerns in the wake of an attack on…

West Africa should break bond with euro to survive

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France’s colonial-era trade agreements with its former African colonies are undermining their policy independence, industrialisation and sovereignty.As part of the deal for the colonies to become independent, France in 1960 negotiated the Pacte Coloniale – sets of co-operation agreements covering security, economies, public projects, politics and culture, among others – which would determine the former colonies’ post-independence relationship with France. One of the punishing colonial era agreements is France’s currency union with its former colonies. The CFA franc was created in 1945, and is the common currency of 14 countries in…

Is this Tunisian chile paste the new sriracha? Not yet, but it sure should be.

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In 2014, Food & Wine called it the “new sriracha” sauce. Time named it one of 2015’s food trends. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been using it in recipes for years. London’s Yotam Ottolenghi learned to make it for a 2013 episode of his BBC TV show “Mediterranean Feast.” U.S. chefs have been playing with it, too; Seattle’s Renee Erickson features it in a delightfully fiery dish of roasted carrots and fennel. [Make the recipe: Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad With Tuna and Black Olives ] While it hasn’t yet become the next sriracha, harissa — Tunisia’s legendary…

IMF Statement on Tunisia

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Growth is slowly improving, but strong consumption is fueling inflation and further increases already high fiscal and external deficits. Exchange rate flexibility, tighter monetary policy, and fuel price increases have already started to address the imbalances, and the recent launch of the fight against corruption has improved confidence. Putting the fiscal deficit on a downward path is critically important and will require additional adjustment, including on the public wage bill that is among the highest in the world. An International Monetary Fund team led by Mr. Björn Rother visited Tunis…