Given the economic properties of the countries south of the Mediterranean and their geo-economic location, they have their own characteristics in terms of their performance and foreign direct investment attraction. In one hand, because of their similarities and their differences in their economic growth, their openness, their debt structuring, their exchange rate regime, the structure of foreign trade, and their level of economic interdependence intra-group and extra-group, it is relevant to try to assessing the achievements and attractiveness of these countries for foreign direct investment and to try analyzing their determinants in particular in the case of Tunisia.

The development strategy of developing countries has been characterized in the 1960s and 1980s by a disconnection from the global economy and essentially a planned and autonomous policy of industrialization, focused mainly on local market demand. The priority given to attractiveness to FDI shows the change in industrial policy towards accession to economic liberalism and the gradual opening up to the global economy.