Foreign Minister Wadephul visits Tunisia and Algeria: tapping potential for growth and business in the Mediterranean region

Foreign Minister Wadephul visits Tunisia and Algeria: tapping potential for growth and business in the Mediterranean region

Tunisia and Algeria are neighbours of the EU. The geographical proximity to the EU and the close relations that have developed provide a good basis for active economic cooperation. Foreign Minister Wadephul is travelling to the region with a business delegation to expand trade and investment.

Exchange with Tunisia and Algeria, direct Mediterranean neighbours of the EU, is dynamic and an important factor in strengthening cooperation in the Mediterranean region in the face of global challenges. Foreign Minister Wadephul is therefore meeting his Tunisian and Algerian counterparts for the fourth time already since assuming office. On his trip to Tunisia and Algeria he will be accompanied by a business delegation so that we can fully tap joint potential in the field of trade and investment.

Prior to his departure, Foreign Minister Wadephul highlighted this, saying:

Important parts for suppliers for Germany's car industry are already produced in Tunisia. Tunisians trained in Germany have established companies in their homeland which often have close connections with Germany as a centre of industry, for example, in the digital sphere.

In addition to Algeria's crucial role as an energy partner, the Government in Algiers has been focusing on promoting start-ups since 2019. Foreign Minister Wadephul will be able to see this for himself in the field of robotics, and at the same time have the opportunity to discuss the intensification of the German-Algerian energy partnership which was recently agreed in July.

Tunisia: holiday destination and business location with close ties to Germany

Each year, around 330,000 German tourists visit Tunisia. German business also values Tunisia, not least due to its well-qualified skilled workers and the close academic exchange between the two countries. German Academic Exchange Service scholarship holders have successfully founded enterprises in their homeland after completing studies in Germany. During a visit to the digital centre "The Dot", which brings together businesspeople with universities and international partners, Foreign Minister Wadephul will be able to enjoy personal dialogue with entrepreneurs and scholarship holders.

70 years of diplomatic relations with Tunisia

In 2026, Germany and Tunisia are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This milestone anniversary shows that we have forged close economic, cultural and political ties over the course of the decades. Political talks, particularly our shared interests in stability in the region and in the Sahel, will be the focus of Foreign Minister Wadephul's meetings with President Kaïs Saïed and his Tunisian counterpart Mohamed Ali Nafti. Another issue will be Tunisia's connection to the European energy network and the expansion of renewable energies.

Algeria: a strategically close energy partner

The recent visit to Germany in July 2026 by Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was accompanied to Berlin by Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, is now to be followed by Foreign Minister Wadephul's visit to Algiers. Algeria's significance as a gas supplier has increased further since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which has led to the EU sanctioning energy supplies from Russia. An energy partnership with Algeria has been in place since 2015. In the course of the President's visit in July it was agreed that this should be intensified. Algeria plans to meet up to 10 percent of the EU's hydrogen requirements by 2040, thereby contributing to the diversification of our energy mix and to the climate-friendly transformation of the economy. Algeria's location and the conditions there offer an almost ideal basis for this.

The potential harboured by Algeria for the energy transformation and the resulting cooperation opportunities will be the subject of the roundtable discussions between Foreign Minister Wadephul, local enterprises and the accompanying business delegation. The trip will also focus on opportunities in mining and the energy sector, for example during political talks between the Foreign Minister and Algerian President Tebboune, Foreign Minister Attaf and Minister of State and Minister of Hydrocarbons and Mines Mohamed Arkab.

Keywords

• Tunisia
• Algeria
• Foreign Minister Wadephul: Travels
• Articles

• Print page
• Share page

  Share page

  • WhatsApp
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Mail
• Top of page