1. INTRODUCTION

This paper provides an overview of the current regional and extra-regional trade agreements involving African countries in the area extending from the Atlantic coast of Morocco and along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco and Tunisia).^[1] It analyses the impact of such agreements on trade in fish and other marine products within the area comprising Algeria, Egypt, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco and Tunisia (hereinafter termed North African Mediterranean Countries when considered as a group), and between them and the European Union (EU).

Various efforts have been made to establish trade agreements among North African countries, but so far such agreements have been political rather than economic and commercial. As will be seen, an economic free-trade area in the overall Arab region is far from being achieved, and - as for trade in general - fish trade among North African countries also remains negligible.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that the efforts toward creation of a free-trade area in the Arab region (Greater Arab Free Trade Area - GAFTA), involving, with others, the countries considered in this paper, form part of a more global process. In fact, the establishment of the World trade Organization (WTO) has been the final step of a long series of discussions and negotiations that have indirectly resulted in the rebirth of the interest in regional cooperation agreements. As a result, various agreements have been established, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), etc. In addition, negotiations are in progress toward the creation of free-trade areas in several parts of the globe, including the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

The EU’s interest in the Mediterranean region is not new: it began in the mid-1970s with a series of Cooperation Agreements between the EC and some Mediterranean countries. Some of those Cooperation Agreements have since been succeeded by a later generation of agreements. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership started with the Barcelona Declaration (Barcelona, 28 November 1995). That date saw the birth of the Mediterranean Basin Initiative, that seeks to strengthen political ties and gradually create a Europe-Mediterranean (EU-MED) free-trade area. The envisaged EU-MED free-trade area implies reciprocal free trade in manufactured goods, preferential and reciprocal access for agricultural goods of interest to both partners, and free trade among the Mediterranean partners themselves.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the fishery sector of the North African area, both from the production and from the international trade sides.

Chapter 3 attempts to describe the current situation concerning agreements among North African countries, and the impact on fish trade.

Chapter 4 deals with the fish trade between the EU and the countries forming the focus of this paper.

Chapter 5 draws some conclusions.

The report is complemented with five annexes that provide more detailed data and ancillary information on items discussed in the paper.