20/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - Pan-Euromed rules, Commission welcomes Council's go-ahead. On 19 April, Commissioner Stefan Füle (enlargement) and Commissioner Algirdas Semeta (taxation) welcomed the adoption of a decision by the Council authorising the signature, in the name of the EU, of the regional convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules, which will replace the current pan-Euro-Mediterranean system of rules of origin based on individual protocols applicable between two partner countries. In addition to the EU member states, 22 countries are party to the convention, the EFTA states, Turkey, the southern Mediterranean partners participating in the Barcelona Process, and the Western Balkans. Commissioner Füle welcomed the decision and explained: “This may seem a very technical matter, but in reality this opens the door to a simplification of the way the EU can trade with the countries of the Southern Mediterranean and the Western Balkans. It will help to develop growth and economic prosperity for the region and will facilitate regional integration, thus contributing to the overall stability of the whole region.” (E.H./transl.fl)