On Tuesday 10 April, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that Algeria was not respecting its trade agreement with the EU stemming from their association agreement designed in 2005.
"Many of Algeria's practices are not in line with our free trade agreement (...) (they) favour China. Solutions need to be found, otherwise clauses for settling disputes will need to be mentioned in the agreement", Malmström warned during a hearing before the French National Assembly's economic affairs and foreign affairs committees.
"We are in an exchange of letters and we are talking to the Algerian authorities about this subject", she added, giving assurances the EU was conducting a "dialogue" with the country.
The EU-Algeria association agreement was signed in 2002 and entered into force in September 2005. It defines a framework for EU-Algeria relations in all areas, including trade.
Under the preferential treatment granted by the EU as part of this trade arrangement, since January 2014 Algeria no longer benefits from the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).
The EU is Algeria's top trading partner and absorbs the biggest share of Algerian international trade (54.1%). Total bilateral trade reached €37.4 billion in 2016.
The EU and Algeria adopted common partnership priorities in March 2017 (see EUROPE 11833). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)