Tunisia and Its Diaspora: Between Protection and Control

Abstract

Tunisia has a long history of emigration to the European Union. The Tunisian state has progressively created and implemented a migration policy to protect Tunisian citizens abroad and to tighten ties with the country. This chapter presents the current policy concerning emigration – strengthening migrant ties with Tunisia and fighting against illegal migration – and policies that concern the diaspora – measures encouraging investment in Tunisia, protection of social rights abroad, new integration of the diaspora within political and civil Tunisian society. To this end, the chapter provides an update on the political and civil rights of emigrants (voting, plural nationalities, military duty), socio-economic rights (agreements on labor migration, custom/import incentives), social rights (family, social security) and cultural rights (languages, school, media).The chapter also presents the engagement of non-state actors from abroad. The collapse of the revolution has permitted the country to redefine the political participation of Tunisians abroad and their integration in politics in Tunisia. The demands of Tunisians abroad for rights to participate in politics at high levels (the right to become representatives in the Assembly; the right for a Tunisian with dual-nationality citizenship to become President) were ratified on January 2014.