Brussels, 07/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - The 13th GCC-EU Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting, which took place on 3 March in Doha, followed by two days of negotiations for a free trade agreement, almost went unnoticed, given the uncertain context in the region. No final decision was reached at the Council. The joint text adopted at the end of the meeting, Chaired by George Papandreou for the EU, although the European Commission and CFSP were only represented at a technical level, also makes little reference to cooperation and was almost totally centred on the political positions that had been taken (EUROPE 5 March, p 6).
The Joint Council certainly "noted with satisfaction progress achieved in the implementation of the cooperation agreement and in the negotiations of the free trade area". The formula, however, does not sufficiently cover the difficulty in defining a list of the projects to undergo in common in this context, in the follow-up to the initial action. The choice of the new projects, like the solution for financing or co-funding issues, was not helped by a context marked by concern to re-focus the EUGCC relationship on parallel trade relations. Neither was the prevarication helpful, which appears to reappear spasmodically in connection with what advantages this cooperation actually offers. In order to illustrate this issue, business communities in the Gulf, namely the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in the Gulf, was opposed to organising a new Business forum, which has already taken place three times and which, according to a Community source was accompanied by no explanation at all. This is going to compel the Secretariat General of the GCC and the European Commission to find alternative solutions.
In other areas, cooperation between the two groups of countries was reduced to a number of consultations on a variety of subjects, particularly energy and the Euro. Gulf States, however are very critical of the fact that the EU is tackling energy issues by emphasising security of supply at non-destabilising prices, when they were seeking a more dynamic relationship that focused on better access to the European market for their petro-chemical products and aluminium. In the context of negotiations on a free-trade zone (which according to the Doha agenda, should be carried out at an "intense pace", as decided in February 2002 in Grenada) the press in the region echoed the surprise at seeing Brussels encourage accession for six countries in the region to the WTO, on the condition that they reach a EU-GCC free-trade agreement. Saudi Arabia is the only country out of the six that can just about finalise its accession to the World trade Organisation.
In the meantime, the two groups of countries are eager to stick to the objective of refocusing cooperation on strengthening dialogue and mutual understanding, particularly on economic issue. The council has therefore recommended "intensifying cooperation in the field of energy through the energy experts' meeting and the ongoing cooperation for the promotion of hydrocarbon technology transfers".
The Joint Council was also an opportunity to renew criticism of the EU for the level of its representation at the joint meetings with the GCC, which was thought to be too low. On this occasion, except for the Action President of the Council, no Ministers of European Affairs went to Doha, except for the French Secretary of State. European Commissioner, Chris Patten, was expected, we are told, but it was an Assistant Director General who represented the European Commission. The expression of this "bad mood" does not, however, according to various sources, explain the delay in the taking of a decision to open a European Commission delegation in Riyadh. Ministers should have been pleased at taking a definitive decision on this subject at Doha but the decision was postponed. Pending issues are those of status and competencies of such a delegation (covering the relation with the only GCC secretariat and with the other six capital cities). A technical mission will soon be in Brussels to attempt to clarify discussions on this point.