Tunisia Country Report: Culture in EU External Relations

State bodies in charge of culture still play a significant role through a subsidising policy operating on principles similar to those that were applied before the revolution: nation branding abroad and patronage networks and the priority given to heritage, tourism and large -scale cultural promotion events. The independent sector, which played an instrumental role in the 2011 revolution as well as cultural organisations and initiatives that emerged during the ferment and enthusiasm of that period are now facing the challenges of the post -revolution era: the need to be sustainable and autonomous both from internal forces and foreign influences. Because of the geographical proximity of the European Union, a lot is expected from Europeans despite a certain disillusionment vis-à-vis traditional European cultural operators.