The Minister of Trade and Export Development, Samir Abid, recently announced the preparation of a national action plan aimed at strengthening the legal and institutional framework for the fight against counterfeiting in Tunisia.
This project, led by the National Council for the Fight against counterfeiting, will take into account the new challenges posed by this growing phenomenon.
Speaking during a workshop organized on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day (April 26), Abid stressed the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in the face of expansion of parallel markets and electronic commerce, reports the TAP.
Counterfeiting, according to him, is a major factor of economic losses, affecting competitiveness and export capacities while endangering the health of consumers.
The Minister also recalled the efforts undertaken to protect intellectual property, which includes patents, brands, copyright and industrial designs, essential elements to encourage innovation and support the export of Tunisian products.
In parallel, a national export promotion strategy is being developed. This includes initiatives to improve the transition from the subcontracting system to a production partnership model and to stimulate high-added activities, based on creativity and productivity. The Minister also announced efforts to mobilize the funding necessary for innovation and creation.
For his part, Lazhar Bennour, director general of economic cooperation at the ministry, insisted on the need to protect intellectual property to allow Tunisian products to stand out in international markets. He also pointed out that the export promotion fund supports Tunisian companies in the registration of their brands abroad.
The Swiss Ambassador to Tunis, Josef Renggli said that a Tuniso-Suisse project on intellectual property (TUSIP) has been launched in Tunis since January 2022 and will continue in December 2025. This project, initiated by Switzerland and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and CEPEX, aims to strengthen the intellectual property law Intellectual for Tunisian entrepreneurs, creators, researchers and producers.
