THE IMPACT OF THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON THE INTER-ARAB TRADE

Abstract

This study aims to show the impact resulting from signing of Euro-Mediterranean Agreements and the establishment of free Euro-Mediterranean trade zone on inter-Arab trade, and the establishment of a major Arab free trade zone. International economic relations at the present time are characterized by a large interrelationship and interdependency, encouraging most of the countries in the world; whether developed or developing, to form economic blocs and groupings; whether in a bilateral or multilateral way. At the level of Arab countries, in the context of their efforts to keep pace with developments occurring in the world, they proceeded to go two different ways, in order to achieve their economic development and to accompany the course of the rapid change in the global economy. The first trend focused on its complementary efforts with each other; whereas the establishment of an Arab free trade zone is considered as a logical entrance to gain access to higher degrees of integration among Arab countries in order to maintain their interests in front of international economic blocs. The second trend consisted in the signature of cooperation and partnerships agreements with various economic coalitions; the most important was the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Agreement, between the Arab countries and the European Union. It is worthy to note that this latter initiated the launch and design of all agreements with Arab countries, following the objectives that suited it best, regardless of integrative interests of the Arab countries; this, because Arab countries perform their negotiations individually with the European Union, therefore the EU gets more bargaining power to ensure its superiority as a single entity facing dispersed countries. In this study, we exposed the project of Euro-Mediterranean partnership and to show the difference between it and the Middle Eastern project. We discussed as well the project of Arab economic integration and the march of the joint Arab action the theoretical bases of the Arab foreign and intra-trade and the efforts made in this important sector. Finally, this study focused on the establishment of a free Euro-Mediterranean trade zone and its impact on inter-Arab trade zone. The establishment of a free trade Euro Mediterranean zone, which includes four Arab Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia) on the one hand, and the European Union on the other hand, or what is known as the Agadir Agreement, aimed to develop trade intra exchanges between the four Arab countries in the framework of their partnership with the European Union, while keeping this agreement open for the accession of all Arab Mediterranean countries that signed a partnership agreement with the European Union, where some of these countries have expressed their wish to join them as one of the success models at the regional level. The results of the study showed that the establishment of free Euro-Mediterranean trade zone resulting from the signing of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership Agreement between the Mediterranean countries, including the Arab and the European Union, conducts to the actual blocking for the application of the Arab Free Trade Zone area, and thus eliminating the Arab dream of economic integration as a result of directing the Arab efforts outside the global Arab integration circuit; the fact of the entrance to facilitate trade exchange between Arab countries is of a great importance in order to reach the upper levels of integration. However, it can contribute effectively to the increase of trade exchanges between Arab countries that accessed under it, and this is what was proved through the increase of intra-regional trade of Arab countries in the Euro Mediterranean free exchange zone (Agadir Agreement) as well as the emergence of complementary opportunities in important export sectors in these countries. Key words: Arab free trade zone, the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, foreign trade exchanges, the European-Arab economic relations, the Mediterranean free trade zone, the Agadir Agreement.