Democracy Reporting International (DRI) and the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) invite you to a debate on what has been achieved in Tunisia since the adoption of its Constitution, what the outlook is and what role the EU and its member states can play in supporting Tunisia’s democratisation process. 

On 26 January 2014 the Tunisian Parliament adopted a new constitution triggering much enthusiasm among the Tunisian public and the international community. Widely considered as the most egalitarian and democratic constitution in the region, the Tunisian Constitution’s bill of rights guarantees fundamental human rights and freedoms for all Tunisians regardless of gender, political conviction or religious belief. In addition, the constitutional provisions on decentralised government, independent judiciary and free media outline an ambitious political reform agenda for the following years of Tunisia’s democratic transition.

Four years later, it is time to ask to what extent the constitutional promise has been fulfilled? While the security situation in the country has improved, the economy remains weak and the implementation of the Constitution has turned out to be a protracted process with many setbacks. The introduction of a decentralised system of government might prove to be a Herculean task for Tunisia’s young democracy and its institutions.