EU promises aid to Tunisia, Libya in bid to stop extremism

The European Union has agreed to help the Tunisian government fight Islamic extremism in the North African country.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed to several cooperative measures with Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid. The agreement follows last month’s beach resort attack in Tunisia that left 38 tourists dead, many EU nationals.

“We have to keep hope alive in a region that faces so many difficulties,” said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who also said it’s in Europeans’ own interest to assist Tunisia.

The meeting included talks on boosting Tunisia’s economy. One of the agreements reached includes raising quotas on how much olive oil the county can sell in European markets. Tunisia is currently the world’s second largest olive-oil producer, coming in behind Spain.

But extremism in Tunisia isn't all homegrown. Many of the country's armed radicals get training in jihadi camps in neighboring Libya, where the EU is trying to help establish a stable national government. EU leaders believe stability in Libya would help stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean.

The EU is ready to use both carrots and sticks to make the national government a reality, Mogherini said. On July 11, some Libyan political leaders met in Morocco to sign an agreement that could end the country’s second civil war that began last year. But Libya’s legislative authority, the General National Congress, stalled the process by demanding a greater share of power.

Mogherini said the bloc has prepared a $108 million aid package for Libya once warring factions consent to a unified government.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.