Brussels, 11/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - The EU and Libya made a commitment for the first time in negotiations to conclude a cooperation agreement. The details of which have still not been defined. These negotiations will begin on 12 November in Brussels at a technical level and the formal session for launching talks will take place on 13 November.
These discussions will be exploratory in nature and will help the European Commission, negotiating on behalf of the EU, and Libya to work out the framework and contents of the future - and possible - agreement. Different sources indicated that, “this will depend on the level of Libya's ambition”. There is nothing yet to indicate whether Libya will want the benefits of an association agreement or less ambitiously, a cooperation or simple trade agreement.These negotiations are based on the Council decision of 25 July 2008 (adopted by written procedure in a JHA Council). The aim of the negotiations will be to conclude an agreement with Libya on the basis of the 2004 Council political commitment with that country. The Europeans believe that the agreement should cover a wide range of areas for cooperation between the parties: political, social, economic, trade and cultural. The Council took a long time before granting the Commission its negotiating mandate, in part due to reservations expressed by member states, but principally as a result of Libya's prevarication. Attempts in March 2003 to negotiate a fisheries agreement and in June 2003 to open negotiations on combating illegal immigration, for example, came to nothing. (F.B./transl.rh/rt)