Brussels, 16/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - Algeria and the EU have concluded their trade negotiations within the framework of the association agreement that has been in effect since 2005. The announcement was made on the sidelines of a meeting between French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his Algerian counterpart Mourad Medelci. “I can tell you today almost officially that negotiations have been concluded”, Medelci said, without giving any detail of the content of the agreement reached.
The negotiations between Algeria and the EU relate to a review of the timetable for tariff dismantling and the products affected, that Algiers, in the belief that the 2005 agreement is imbalanced, has been calling for since 2010. The 2005 agreement has resulted in a loss of earnings of over $2 billion for Algeria since it came into effect five years ago, Algiers claims. “For every dollar exported to the EU, Algeria imports $20 dollars' worth”, it says.
In these negotiations, Algeria argued for a cautious opening up on a list of industrial goods, belonging to the steel, textiles, electronics and car industry sectors. Discussions proved difficult in view of the relative closure of the Algerian market to foreign, and, in this instance, European companies. The EU highlighted the distortion of competition that results from Algeria's application of dual pricing for energy products. Negotiations were conducted against a backdrop of Algeria's wish for stronger support from the EU for its accession to the WTO (World Trade Organisation). (FB/transl.rt)