Brussels, 21/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 24 February, Morocco and the EU are holding a session of their Association Council, the third since the Association Agreement took effect on March 2000. The meeting will be chaired on the Moroccan side by Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Fassi Fihri and, on the European side in addition to the Greek Presidency, by European External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten. It will essentially be a question of mechanisms to be set in place in the context of the agreement, and above all the creation of six sub-committees attached to the Association Committee on: the internal market; industry; trade and services; transport, environment and energy; research and innovation; agriculture and fisheries; and justice and security.
In parallel, negotiations will continue on mutual access for farm products. A sitting was held end January but a new meeting scheduled for end February will not be held. According to Gregor Kreuzhuber, spokesperson for Commissioner Fischler, "negotiations at the technical level are blocked. We are awaiting a generally satisfactory offer from Morocco". Discussions may be continued at the sub-committee to be created on this theme.
Morocco, the same source points out, will present its ideas on the "special status" that it would like to have. Community sources recall that Morocco is the only Mediterranean partner to have presented its candidature for accession (rejected by the EU). The country is still requesting special status, which is "more than association but without being accession". The request may embarrass the Commission, which nonetheless wished to stress the quality of relations with Morocco (which would even be ready, it is said, to open "adult political dialogue" with the EU and break the taboo of "re-entry" of migrants) but without going that far, and without taking the risk of offending other neighbouring countries with which relations are just as good (Tunisia, Egypt) or promising (Algeria).
Delegations will also hold discussions on Iraq, the Middle East and the United Nations' efforts to find an acceptable solution for the Western Sahara (see also p.5).