Brussels, 17/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Union, far from blocking Algeria's accession to the WTO, is, in fact, supporting it, European Commission Ambassadress to Algeria Laura Baeza told press in Algiers on Monday 16 February. Algeria's talks on joining the WTO, which began in 1987, are faltering on two key issues: opening up its energy services to international competition and the two-rate domestic and international energy market tariff system. Baeza said, too, that the 2002 association agreement between Algeria and the EU would only bear fruit once the Algerian tariff system had been dismantled - scheduled by 2016 - stating that the cost of investment projects undertaken under the agreement came to €500 million. She also said that satisfactory progress had been made in cooperation between the EU and Algeria in various areas, like the modernisation of the Algerian economy, adding that the EU had allocated €2.2 billion to support the economic reform process, the financial sector, banks and insurance, industry and business, trade, postal services and telecommunications and the management of Algerian ports over the period from 2007 to 2010. Finally, negotiations on the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation have still not begun after initial fruitful talks. Algeria is Europe's third largest gas supplier and 13th largest oil supplier. (E.H./transl.rt)