Brussels, 07/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU Commissioner for Industry Antonio Tajani is to visit Tunisia on 8-9 March to speed up the preparations leading to negotiations on EU market access agreements with the Southern Mediterranean countries. The EU may very soon conclude an initial agreement with the country leading democratic change in the Arab world.
Alignment of rules. Industry and SME cooperation between the EU and Tunisia will be central to Tajani's visit to Tunisia this week. The aim is to speed up preparations for the negotiation of market access agreements with the countries of the southern neighbourhood, led by Tunisia, the leader of the Arab Spring. The industry commissioner will meet the Tunisian prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, and the Tunisian minister for industry and commerce, Mohammed Lamine Chakhari, and will attend the 10th conference of the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment in Partnership (FEMIP).
Tajani hopes to tighten up the partnerships between the EU and Tunisia to allow their industries and SMEs to take full advantage of bilateral trade relations. The commissioner for industry will plead in favour of greater integration of the markets by bringing Tunisian rules into line with those of the EU and improving technical infrastructure (laboratories and conformity assessment). Tajani also hopes to encourage greater cooperation on reducing red tape, with the objective of ensuring rules to promote the internationalisation of SMEs (clusters and networks). Naturally, tourism will also take a major place in this approach.
ACAA with Tunisia in sight. Tunisia's progress in bringing its legislative system into line and the quality of its infrastructure, which the commissioner described as “considerable”, should soon lead to full access to the single market for products which fulfil a number of requirements negotiated in the scope of an agreement on conformity assessment and acceptance of industrial products (ACAA). On 9 March, Tajani and Chakhari will sign a joint declaration stressing the willingness and commitment of the parties to conclude the preparatory phase and open negotiations on market access as soon as possible, with a view to the signature of an ACAA “in the near future”, says the European executive. This signature will mark the end of preparations and the imminent opening of formal negotiations concerning electrical products and construction materials. The agreement will subsequently be extended to other industrial products, once the conditions have been met.
The ACAA agreements are currently at different states of preparation or negotiation with each of the Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority and Tunisia). As well as promoting market access for industrial products, these agreements will help to reduce red tape by getting rid of the double assessment of product compliance, which will vastly simplify import/export customs formalities.
10th FEMIP conference. In Tunis on 8 March, Tajani will take part, alongside the Tunisian minister for international cooperation and investments, Riadh Bettaieb, and representatives of national and international organisations specialised in investor support, in the 10th FEMIP conference, focusing on support for Mediterranean SMEs. Three subjects will guide the debates: access to funding, promoting entrepreneurship and international competitiveness. (EH/transl.fl)