Brussels, 13/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The eighth EU-Algeria Association Council was held in Brussels on Tuesday 13 May in a “frank and fruitful” atmosphere, according to the Greek Presidency. This Association Council was co-chaired by the Greek deputy prime minister, Evangelos Venizelos, and the Algerian foreign minister, Ramtane Lamamra. Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle also took part.
Since the presidential elections of 17 April in particular, Algeria has still a great deal of effort to make to flesh out its ambition of being an economically and politically indispensable partner, according to the Europeans. Algeria was not without its own criticisms. During the final press conference, the Algerian minister openly expressed his fears of a Europe dominated by “racist, xenophobic and islamophobic” feeling, in reference to the anticipated results of the forthcoming European elections, which suggest that the extreme right will win more seats in the European Parliament.
“On the strength of its financial reserves, Algeria is the least active in Euro-Mediterranean politics”, said an authorised source. However, the country seems to be softening its stance and is currently negotiating an action plan under the neighbourhood policy. Overall, caution seems to be the rule when discussing relations between the EU and Algeria which, our source added, has still to confirm its willingness to reform and open up its market, and to open itself up significantly to democracy and the activity of civil society associations.
As Venizelos diplomatically put it, this translates into the invitation to the Algerians to “increase their levels of ambition”. A hand has been held out to an Algeria which promises to take the right path. “We are delighted by the positive development” explained by the Algerians, said Venizelos. The Algerian minister stressed the “significance and scale of the presidential elections of 17 April” and reminded his audience of the programme of President Bouteflika, which includes a “consensual revision of the Constitution”, a five-year plan, the results of which are “positive”, and a forthcoming five-year plan (2014-2019), which is currently being put together. “We discussed energy, recovering Algeria's industrial base, trade” to become genuine partners, said Lamamra.
Lamamra expressed fears of a resurgence of discrimination in Europe and “welcomed all the European political forces” opposing these waves. Füle told press: “We have repeated our offer of accompanying Algeria in its political reforms, notably after the announcement of a constitutional reform”. “We also expect progress in terms of reinforcing cooperation for respect for human rights and the democratic principles, the improvement of governance and more active participation of civil society. This is vital to respond to the expectations of the Algerian people”, he stressed.
The final declaration of the Association Council indicates that the EU pleaded for the development of a diversified, effective and employment-generating market economy for all Algerians. It reiterated its offer of reinforced cooperation in the fields of maritime transport, the environment, climate change and energy. The EU “reiterated the European offer of dialogue on migration and mobility in accordance with the global approach” (including readmission). The EU also welcomed the interest expressed by Algeria in being involved in the Euro-Mediterranean programmes. A protocol has been initialled to this end. Lastly, the EU “reiterated its interest in a comprehensive partnership in the field of security on the basis of a memorandum of understanding to be negotiated”. The EU expressed its desire to “step up the implementation of its strategy for security and development in the Sahel and reinforce its political dialogue with Algeria in this context”. The parties reiterated their commitment to the regional, Euro-Mediterranean and Maghreb fora. (FB)