Tunisia and Italy have reached an agreement on a share of the red shrimp
Tunisia is reaching an agreement with Italy to raise its share of red shrimp fishing after Rome threatened to suspend imports until the end of 2026 amid professional discontent.
Tunisia has reached an agreement with Italy on its share of red shrimp fishing, following bilateral negotiations following Italian threats to stop receiving Tunisian shipments. The agreement included the announcement of a reduction in the Tunisian share, without disclosing the official planned increase.
The agreement came after Italian authorities suspended the importation of Tunisian red shrimp until the end of 2026, after recording an international quota exceeding 41%. The resulting trade route and agreement caused professional discontent over continued restrictions on maritime exports to European markets.
These developments have reintroduced criticism of the impact of the partnership with Rome on economic and sovereign decisions, given the adoption of local production sectors on the Italian market.
The Tunisian Federation of Agriculture and Fisheries had warned days ago of the repercussions of reducing the country's share of fishing for this type of shellfish on workers in the sector. Observers see the current controversy as fueling the pressure that accompanied the 2023 migration agreement with the European Union, driven by the Georgian government of Meloni and its accompanying security commitments in the Mediterranean.
The Tunisian Federation of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries warned on 29 October of the consequences of reducing the tonne share of red shrimp fishing and the impact this had on the marine fisheries system.
Tunisia's economic interests are facing increasing challenges in balancing the conditions of trading partners and protecting the maritime fishing sector, while the parties concerned have not announced the date of application of the updated quota or the accompanying technical procedures.