Brussels, 08/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - In 2001, the EU was Macao's second most important export market (26.6%) and its third largest supplier (12.6%), although the volume of trade (EUR 996 million) decreased by 3.7% compared to the year 2000. These are the observations of the second annual report by the Commission on the Special Administrative Region of Macao, which also illustrates that Macao's economy was unable to buck any global trends and subsequently slowed down in 2000 (4.6% of GDP) and to 2.1% in 2001. Trade between the EU and Macao is not only of a commercial nature. In compliance with the agreement between the Community and Hong Kong (see the following page), an agreement on the readmission of illegal immigrants is currently being negotiated between the Community and Macao. Just as it is for those from Hong Kong, Macao passport holders from this other Special Chinese Administrative Region have been able to enter the EU without visas since 10 April. The report explains that "parallel to the EU, fourteen other counties granted Macao residents free access to their territory in 2001". The eighth Mixed EU-Macao Committee meeting took place on 22 October 2001. The two parties decided to set up a new legal co-operation project in 2002. Politically, the European Union can rest assured that the, "central government of Peking, as well as the Special Administrative Region of Macao continue to attach great importance on the principle of one country, two system". The Commission has declared that it has followed with real and affectionate interest, the evolution of Macao. It stresses that the Macao government continues to administer the special administrative region in an autonomous way both on an internal and international level, as laid down in the fundamental law. The first report on Macao was adopted a little over a year ago (EUROPE 25 July 2001 for the first annual report).