Euro-Mediterranean free trade area

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The Euro-Mediterranean free trade area (EU-MEFTA) is based on the Barcelona Process and European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The Barcelona Process, developed after the Barcelona Conference in successive annual meetings, is a set of goals designed to lead to a free trade area in the Middle East by 2010.

It is envisioned that a FTA with Rules of Origin with Pan-Euro-Mediterranean cumulation will be created. It will cover the EU, the EFTA, the EU customs unions with third states (Turkey, Andorra, San Marino), the EU candidate states, the partners of the Barcelona Process and possibly at a later stage all of the European Neighbourhood Policy partners. [1].

The Agadir Agreement of 2004 (FTA between Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt) is seen as its first building block. Further steps are envisioned into the ENP Action plans negotiated between the European Union and the partner states on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon is currently in negotiations to join Agadir.

The initial aim is to create a matrix of Free Trade Agreements between each of the partners and the others. Then a single free trade area is to be formed, including the European Union.

The Agadir Agreement is seen also as a stepping stone to the formation of a Great Arab Free Trade Area [2]. The Arab League has recently announced that the Agadir Organization is expected to include all 22 Arab Members to finish with an Arab Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) by 2015, and expects the Arab League to become a powerful economic organization by 2025.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Partners 2 Prospective partners 3 FTA Progress 4 Comparison with other regional blocs 5 See also

[edit] Partners

• European Union
• Morocco
• Algeria
• Tunisia
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Israel
• Palestinian Authority

[edit] Prospective partners

• Syria
• Libya (member of the Arab Maghreb Union)
• Gulf Cooperation Council
• Iraq
• Mauritania (member of the Arab Maghreb Union)

[edit] FTA Progress

	EU associated			Other Barcelona Conference partners									Prospective partners
	EU	EFTA	Turkey CU	Morocco	Algeria	Tunisia	Egypt	Jordan	Lebanon	Syria	Israel	PA	Libya	GCC	Mauritania	Iraq	SADR
EU		FTA 1973	CU 1996	AA 2000	AA 2005	AA 1998	AA 2004	AA 2002	AA 2006	AA	AA 2000	AA 1997		FTA
EFTA	FTA 1973		FTA 1992	FTA 1999		FTA 2005		FTA 2002	FTA 2005		FTA 1993	FTA 1999
Turkey CU	CU 1996	FTA 1992		?		FTA 2005	FTA 2006	?	?	?	FTA 1997	FTA 2005
Morocco	AA 2000	FTA 1999	?			Agadir 2004	Agadir 2004	Agadir 2004	Agadir
Algeria	AA 2005							FTA
Tunisia	AA 1998	FTA 2005	FTA 2005	Agadir 2004			Agadir 2004	Agadir 2004	Agadir
Egypt	AA 2004		FTA 2006	Agadir 2004		Agadir 2004		Agadir 2004	Agadir							?
Jordan	AA 2002	FTA 2002	?	Agadir 2004	FTA	Agadir 2004	Agadir 2004		Agadir	FTA		FTA	FTA	FTA 1		FTA
Lebanon	AA 2006	FTA 2005	?	Agadir		Agadir	Agadir	Agadir						FTA 2005		FTA 2002
Syria	AA		?					FTA								?
Israel	AA 2000	FTA 1993	FTA 1997									CU 1994
PA	AA 1997	FTA 1999	FTA 2005					FTA			CU 1994
Libya								FTA
GCC	FTA							FTA 1	FTA 2005
Mauritania
Iraq							?	FTA	FTA 2002	?
SADR

¹ So far are concluded FTAs with Kuwait and Bahrain.
     instrument and year of entry into force      instrument and year of provisional entry into force      in negotiations      no diplomatic relations with Israel or SADR

[edit] Comparison with other regional blocs

Most active regional blocs

Regional bloc 1	Area (km²)	Population	GDP (PPP) ($US)		Member states 1
			in millions	per capita
EU	4,325,675	496,198,605	12,025,415	24,235	27
SAARC	5,136,740	1,467,255,669	4,074,031	2,777	8
CSN	17,339,153	370,158,470	2,868,430	7,749	10
ASEAN	4,400,000	553,900,000	2,172,000	4,044	10
NAFTA	21,588,638	430,495,039	15,279,000	35,491	3
EurAsEC	20,789,100	208,067,618	1,689,137	8,118	6
ECOWAS	5,112,903	251,646,263	342,519	1,361	15
SACU	2,693,418	51,055,878	541,433	10,605	5
GCC	2,285,844	35,869,438	536,223	14,949	6
COMESA	3,779,427	118,950,321	141,962	1,193	5
Agadir	1,703,910	126,066,286	513,674	4,075	4
CEMAC	3,020,142	34,970,529	85,136	2,435	6
CARICOM	462,344	14,565,083	64,219	4,409	14+1 3
EAC	1,763,777	97,865,428	104,239	1,065	3
CACM	422,614	37,816,598	159,536	4,219	5
PARTA	528,151	7,810,905	23,074	2,954	12+2 3
EFTA	529,600	12,233,467	471,547	38,546	4
Reference blocs and countries 2	Area (km²)	Population	GDP (PPP) ($US)		Political divisions
			in millions	per capita
UN	133,178,011	6,411,682,270	55,167,630	8,604	192
Germany	357,050	82,438,000	2,585,000	31,400	16
Japan	377,873	128,085,000	4,220,000	33,100	47
Canada	9,984,670	32,507,874	1,165,000	35,200	13
Indonesia	1,904,569	234,300,000	935,000	4,000	33
Brazil	8,514,877	187,560,000	1,616,000	8,600	27
Russia	17,075,200	143,782,338	1,723,000	12,100	89
India	3,287,590	1,102,600,000	4,042,000	3,700	35
China (PRC) 4	9,596,960	1,306,847,624	10,000,000	7,600	33
USA	9,631,418	300,000,000	12,980,000	43,500	50
1 Including data only for full and most active members 2 The first five states in the World by area, population and GDP (PPP) 3 Including non-sovereign autonomous entities of other states 4 Data for the People's Republic of China does not include Hong Kong, Macau and regions administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan).      smallest value among the blocs compared      largest value among the blocs compared During 2004. Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database This box: view • talk • edit

[edit] See also

• Middle East Free Trade Area (US-MEFTA)
• Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe
• List of free trade agreements
• List of Trade blocs
• economic integration
• African Economic Community