The UAE and Tunisia have kicked off negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to strengthen trade and investment ties, Wam reported on Thursday. The agreement aims to reduce tariffs and trade barriers to facilitate and boost market access for both countries.

In numbers: The UAE’s non-oil trade with Tunisia grew by 7.7% y-o-y in 2024 to USD 350 mn, UAE Foreign State Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoud said. Tunisia exported USD 108 mn worth of goods to the UAE in 2023 and imported USD 198 mn worth of goods from the Gulf country, according to Trading Economics data here and here.

A string of CEPAs for the UAE: The UAE and the Central African Republic (CAR) inked a CEPA last week to boost bilateral trade from AED 925 mn to over AED 3.7 bn over the next five to seven years. Under the CEPA, CAR will enjoy a 98% tariff removal on exports to the UAE, while the African country will remove 99.5% of tariffs from UAE imports.

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