On May 14 and 15 the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the Dutch think tank Clingendael jointly organized the third edition of the 'Vanvitelli' roundtable, yet a recurring initiative in Italian-Dutch diplomatic relations. The event was organized thanks to the contribution of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and in cooperation with the Italian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Amidst increased concern over Tunisia’s financial stability and growing migrant departures towards Europe, EU institutions and member states are struggling to define new modalities of interaction, conditionality or assistance vis a vis Tunisian authorities. Caught in a bind as to how best to engage Tunisia while avoiding to support further trends of authoritarian consolidation, key member states recently expressed backing for emergency economic support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).