Blog: Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet - Hoofdinhoud

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for keeping Tunisia’s transition to democracy on track

I am pleased to see that the Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet has been awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. It recognises the critical role civil society organisations play in consolidating the democratic process, essential work that has long been acknowledged and supported by the European Union.

In general terms, the EU's external aid instruments (notably the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the thematic line for Civil Society Organisations from the Development and Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace and the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)) have provided €25 million to over 50 civil society initiatives in Tunisia since 2009.

During the same period, the EU has supported, on an individual basis, the members of the Quartet (formed by Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT), Union Tunisienne de l'Industrie, du Commerce et de l'Artisanat (UTICA), la Ligue Tunisienne pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (LTDH), and the Ordre National des Avocats de Tunisie (ONAT)) and consulted regularly with them. Our collaboration with them became stronger since the fall of President Ben Ali in 2011 and the creation of the Quartet in 2013.

From a financial point of view the members of the Quartet have benefitted from grants for an amount totalling approximately €3 million.

This financing enabled for instance a project to help strengthen the capacity of the UGTT to enhance the social dialogue in the areas of growth and employment at national and regional levels; or another one implemented by LTDH with the objective of measuring the degree of compliance with electoral rules through observation of the electoral process in its various stages.

Some of the Quartet members and, more generally, representatives of civil society from Tunisia (for instance, the bloggers Amel Osmane and Amira Chebli) as well as Kamel Jendoubi, at that time President of the Independent Electoral Commission, have also been invited to take part in EU organised events (for example the European Development Days) in the past few years to share their inspiring experiences in promoting consensus and fostering Tunisia’s road to democracy after the Arab Spring.

The European Union will remain committed to supporting the Tunisian people as they continue to strengthen and protect their democratic system.