The spokesperson for the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), Sami Tahri, returned on Wednesday November 26, 2025 to the controversy arising from the meeting between the ambassador of the European Union and the trade union centre. He expressed his astonishment at the reaction considered “impulsive” from the Presidency of the Republic, which appeared irritated after the interview held at the UGTT headquarters.
Sami Tahri recalls that this is a common practice in diplomatic usage. The UGTT regularly receives foreign delegations, ambassadors and international missions wishing to hear the organization’s position on the economic and social situation in Tunisia. He specifies that these meetings are systematically announced and transparent.
According to him, the European diplomat’s visit was part of a strictly economic and social framework. It aimed to discuss the difficulties the country is going through, to defend Tunisia’s interests and to explore the possibilities of support, without ever approaching the political field. He points out that the European Union ambassador has previously met with other national organizations in the same spirit.
For Sami Tahri, the reaction of the presidency betrays a desire to restrict the space for dialogue around the UGTT. He sees it as an attempt to put pressure on an organization which, he says, works to defend the economic and social rights of Tunisians.
This tension comes in a context of tensions between the union center and the government, marked by the absence of government response to the seventeen correspondence sent since 2022 to relaunch dialogue. The UGTT is awaiting the meeting of its administrative body on December 5 to set the date of a national strike.
Firm call to order
The President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, summoned Giuseppe Perrone, ambassador of the European Union to Tunisia, to the Carthage palace on November 25 to express his strong dissatisfaction.
According to the presidency, this summons comes in reaction to what it considers to be a non-compliance with diplomatic rules and an overstepping of institutional cooperation frameworks.
The Head of State addressed his interlocutor with a protest considered particularly firm, denouncing initiatives or contacts made outside official channels. For Carthage, an ambassador accredited to the Tunisian State and its institutions is required to follow established diplomatic practices, without deviating from formal channels or protocols in force.
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