However positive Tunisia’s rapid economic development has been, it has multiplied the government’s environmental protection problems. If the state is to maintain its focus on core tasks like strategic planning and environment control, it will have to delegate some environmental tasks and reorganise their execution. For instance, it could privatise waste collection, the operation of refuse dumps, recycling centres and waste water purification plants. The management of natural parks or the tending of public grounds could also be put in private hands, provided that the authorities possess the requisite competence for awarding contracts and supervision. Clearly, these operations must be profitable in a business sense. Tunisia has little experience in transferring responsibility from the public to the private sector.

Legal, financial and social framework conditions are to be improved. Legal and contractual regulation must be comprehensible and transparent. The roles and responsibilities of everyone involved must be defined precisely. Moreover, private sector operators must enjoy reasonable security for future planning and a fair chance to make a profit.

•	Information and dialogue: Panel discussions and transparent information about the environmental services market are to dismantle prejudices and overcome people’s reservations, thus paving the way for cooperation between the public and private sectors.
•	Training: Training and upgrading enhance the abilities of individuals and the capacities of institutions.

The Environmental Programme has published a “green” classified directory and thus increased private service companies’ interest in the Tunisian environment market. These “green pages” will soon appear as an interactive site on the Internet. The panel discussions conducted so far have managed to lower some of the barriers between the public and private sectors. Clearer tendering forms and documents for the operation of dump sites have facilitated procedures for both national and international private dump site operators and increased demand.