The EU and Tunisia have close and long-standing trade relations. Tunisia was the first partner in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood to sign and implement an Association Agreement with the EU. The EU is the biggest foreign investor in Tunisia, accounting for 85% of the foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in the country. The current situation in the country is the topic of the discussion in the EP.

During October II plenary the European Parliament debated how to end the political crisis in Tunisia. Tunisian President Kais Saied currently holds almost all executive, legislative and judicial powers, after he dismissed the prime minister and suspended parliament in July 2021.

In September Saied also suspended, by presidential decree the country’s Constitution. Saied appointed Najla Bouden Romdhane as prime minister, making her the first woman in the country's history to hold the office. Bouden Romdhane has yet to name a government. With thousands of Tunisians demonstrating in the streets in support of or in opposition to the president’s decisions, fears are growing that political divisions could spiral into violent confrontations between these rival camps.