About the Energy Partnership

The German-Tunisian Energy Partnership was founded in early 2012 when the foreign ministers of the two countries signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration in the energy sector with a particular focus on renewable energy. Thanks to its geographical location, Tunisia has a significant potential for renewables. The aim is to build up a sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply system in Tunisia. The partnership’s activities focus on creating effective and efficient energy market conditions.

Three working groups are currently focusing on the topics of energy policy, low-carbon strategies and local market development. Providing a platform for open collaboration, these groups are composed of government representatives and actors from industry, research and civil society who participate in activities such as workshops, energy policy conferences and study trips.

With the support of the GIZ, a permanent secretariat now operates in Tunis , providing organizational and technical support to the partnership.

Regular meetings of the steering committee and the working groups have institutionalised the policy dialogue between German and Tunisian decision-makers. Because of this and other technical exchanges, it has been possible – with the help of the private sector – to improve the economic, legal and technical framework conditions of the Tunisian energy market. Another positive outcome of these discussions are the initial steps taken by the Tunisian electricity and gas company STEG to integrate renewables into the power grid.