EU aims for agreement with Mediterranean partners - Pact foresees removal of trade barriers, adaptation to the European market
The European Union is seeking to reach a strategic agreement with several countries in the Mediterranean region. The pact aims to remove trade barriers and harmonize rules with the European market, reducing dependence on China and Russia.
Several European Union countries are seeking a future strategic agreement with the Mediterranean region, removing trade barriers with selected countries in North Africa and the Middle East. The objective is to "align their rules with the EU's single market," according to a European Commission document. Diversifying trade exchanges away from Russia and China has become a priority since the second term of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began.
The Pact for the Mediterranean, which is expected to be presented by the Commission in mid-October, aims to combine existing agreements with new bilateral pacts between the EU and several Mediterranean countries, such as Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Syria. Through this initiative, the bloc aims to strengthen ties in the Mediterranean region, especially amid trade uncertainties with traditional allies such as the United States.
“Many member states propose modernizing existing agreements and eliminating trade barriers, with calls to align with Single Market rules and support convergence in sectors such as energy, the environment and labor standards,” the document says.
However, this is not the first time that Brussels has tried to expand relations with Mediterranean countries. In 1995, through the “Barcelona Declaration”, the partners agreed to create a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA), which has never been implemented. The EU already has a preferential trade agreement with Mediterranean countries, known as the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, which harmonises rules of origin. This Convention includes EU countries, EFTA members, the Western Balkans, Mediterranean partners, Georgia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
But the Pact for the Mediterranean document shows that EU member states intend to go even further in strengthening trade ties with the region.
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