(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 9 - Sunday's mission to Tunisia with European Commission (EC) President Ursula van der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte should unlock an initial European aid package for the struggling north African country that will help pave the way for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a much-needed bailout, Premier Giorgia Meloni said on Friday.
    In an interview with journalist Bruno Vespa at the forum 'Italy to Come' at Masseria Li Reni, Meloni said she was working "daily" on the Tunisia dossier, recalling her mission to the north African country on Tuesday.
    "It is thanks to the very valuable work that Italy has done, together with the mission (on Sunday), that the first aid package from the commission should materialize," said the premier, adding that this financial support is a stepping stone towards an agreement with the IMF.
    Tunisia and the IMF need to take an approach "that is as pragmatic as possible and not ideological", Meloni said.
    "It seems to me that progress is being made on that front," she added. (ANSA).