Brussels, 01/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The association agreement struck between the EU and Egypt entered into force on Tuesday. All the angles of the agreement - political, economic and social - are now operational. The economic measures had already provisionally entered into force 1 January 2004. A European Commission press release underlines that the new agreement will help to bring Egyptian law into line with European legislation and to promote economic reform in the country. It will also allow political dialogue oriented towards developing "shared political values" to be brought up to date. It is the sixth association agreement to enter into force in the Mediterranean region. For the Commission, it is another step on the road to creating the regional free trade area that the Barcelona process aims to reach by 2010.