11/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - First visit by Commissioner Hahn to work out common priorities. Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy, will be in Algiers from Wednesday 11 May for a two-day official visit, according to a press release. His visit is the first since the beginning of his mandate and will help him, his official interlocutors and civil society assess progress in the relationship between the EU and Algeria. Hahn's visit has been described as having strategic importance. Algeria is a major gas supplier, and hydrocarbons account for around 96% of its exports. The country has expressed two different concerns - one involving the erosion of its market share in gas supplies to Europe and its determination to ensure the stability of its sales to the EU, which has already been targeted by other suppliers that are causing concern to Algeria (such as the US and shale gas); and the other involving its wish to strike a better balance between the benefits provided by the association agreement with the EU. Algiers believes that this agreement has not provided it with any benefits, and Brussels has promised its assistance to ensure that this changes. Brussels is therefore proposing to help the country work out its priorities. (FB)