T.A.S > EU Partnership

T.A.S > EU Partnership > Headlines

Search:

Trade Policies Analysis

Both Egypt and the EU will Sign the European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan at the beginning of March:

The ENP Action Plan will be adopted by the EU-Egypt Association Council on 6th March, 2007 in Brussels. The European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) has been developed to strengthen the framework for the European Union’s relations with those neighboring countries that do not have the perspective of membership of the EU. Its aim is to develop a zone of prosperity and a shared neighborhood – a ‘ring of friends’ – with whom the EU enjoys close, peaceful and co-operative relations.

In return for concrete progress demonstrating shared values and effective implementation of political, economic and institutional reforms, the EU’s neighborhood countries should benefit from the prospect of closer integration with the EU. To this end, the EU neighborhood – in particular the countries of the Southern Mediterranean – will be offered the prospect of a stake in the EU’s Internal Market and further integration and liberalization to promote the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital. For the Mediterranean partners, the ENP will build on the Barcelona Process and the Association Agreements, and will use the instruments created by the later to make the ENP work.

Commission Launches Agriculture trade talks with Egypt:

The Commission and Egypt held a First round of negotiations on further liberalisation of trade in agriculture, processed agricultural and fishery products between Egypt and the European Union on 7-8 February 2007 in Cairo. The negotiations are based on the spirit of the process set out in the 2005 Rabat Roadmap, which aims at wide-ranging liberalisation of trade in agriculture, processed agricultural and fishery products between the EU and the countries of the southern Mediterranean which are covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Association Agreement. The ambition is a Free Trade Area by 2010. At the same time, following the enlargement of the European Union to include Bulgaria and Romania as of 1 January 2007, the Commission and Egypt discussed a technical adaptation Protocol to extend the provisions of the Association Agreement to the two new Member States.

Recent report on Egypt's bilateral trade with the EU:

The European Partnership Agreement Unit (EPAU) has published recently its trade report on Egypt's bilateral trade with the EU, highlighting the following:

Evolution of Egypt's Trade balance
Egypt's trade with EU Countries
Egypt's Trade balance with main partners
Egypt's trade with the world and the EU (2005) .

To download this report, please click here.

Euro-Mediterranean Countries Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Conference

The countries belonging to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership commemorated the 10th Anniversary of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Conference in a meeting held at the summit level in Barcelona from November 27-28 and under the EU Presidency of the United Kingdom.

In the celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Barcelona Summit launched a five year work programme. The aim of this programme is to implement the objectives agreed by partners at the 10th anniversary Euro-Mediterranean summit in accordance with the Barcelona Declaration of 1995. This work plan is designed to deliver results that will have a positive impact for all the citizens in the region, thereby, increasing the visibility of the partnership. This work programme, as well as the implementation of the association agreements and the European Neighborhood Policy action plans, will be supported through technical and financial assistance provided through the MEDA programme, the future European Neighborhood and partnership instrument (ENPI), bilateral contributions from member states, FEMIP and other relevant financial instruments, at levels consistent with the high ambition of our Euro Mediterranean partnership.

The summit reflected the new realities and challenges of the 21st century necessary to necessary to update the Barcelona Declaration and created a new Action Plan (based on the good results of the Valencia Action Plan), encompassing four fundamental areas:

• Peace, Security, Stability, Good Government, and Democracy. It is necessary to strengthen our common democratic principles with concrete measures, and respond to new common threats, such as the fight against terrorism or weapons of mass destruction.
• Sustainable Economic Development and Reform. The modernization of economic structures, growth, and sustainable development will be accelerated. The methods used for managing EU financial aid to countries on the southern Mediterranean coast will be reinforced and improved, and support to the private sector will be made much stronger than it has been to date.
• Education and Cultural Exchange. Civil society’s participation in every process plays an essential role in cultures’ mutual knowledge and understanding. Therefore, contributions to better intercultural understanding will be made through the recently created Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures (with its headquarters in Alexandria), to which Spain is the principal individual contributor.
• Justice, Security, Migration, and Social Integration. The value that migratory movements have today will be enhanced, intensifying co-operation in an area of such great importance, where concerted action is increasingly necessary.