Tunisia's economic expansion plans do not stop at Europe. Tunisia already has a preferential agreement with Libya. Come 2010, Tunisia will be in a position to tap into a vibrant market with a population of over 500m. The pace of privatisation has been gathering momentum since last year. What counts for us is rationalisation, not how much we expect to earn from selling off state-owned companies.
Privatisation is the first step in the modernisation of enterprises.
When we look at bids, we examine the long-term strategies of the bidders, particularly their investment intentions. The privatisation process has gone through three phases. In 1998 alone, we received TD460m from privatisation and by the end of 1999, we will have sold off another 50 firms. The biggest privatisation deals so far have involved the sale of two cement factories each producing 1m tonnes per annum to Spanish and Portuguese investors. A further three will be sold this year.