TUNIS, July 04 (AFP): Officials from the International Monetary Fund began a visit to Tunisia on Monday to start negotiations over a bailout package for the North African country's crippled economy, the central bank said.
The Tunisian central bank's press office told AFP that the two-week visit would involve officials from the bank and the finance ministry.
The talks will examine a reform plan presented by the Tunisian government which aims to meet IMF conditions for a loan, experts say is likely to be worth around two billion euros.
The North African country, the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, has been suffering under a grinding economic crisis and exploding public debt exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
The government of President Kais Saied, who last year staged a dramatic power grab, has proposed a reform package that includes freezing the public wage bill, cutting some subsidies and restructuring state firms.
But the powerful UGTT trade union, which staged a nationwide public sector strike last month over pay, has rejected "painful options" aimed at meeting IMF demands.
IMF team visits Tunisia to start bailout talks
FE Team | Published: July 04, 2022 22:20:42
IMF team visits Tunisia to start bailout talks
Share if you like