News Release
No. 144-04
October 19, 2004
EU AND SYRIA MARK END OF NEGOTIATIONS ON ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT
The European Commission and
Syria today formally mark the end of negotiations for an EU-Syria Association
Agreement by initialling the text. The Agreement will now be submitted for
approval to the decision-making bodies on both sides (in the case of the EU, to
the Council) and will
later be ratified by Parliaments. With this Agreement, the EU completes its network
of Association Agreements with all its partners in the Barcelona
Process. The EU intends to work now with its partners to foster the regional
integration of the Mediterranean
countries, thus fostering South-South trade.
Like all Association Agreements with partners in the Barcelona Process, the Agreement
with Syria covers three areas:
On the political side, the Association Agreement provides a framework to
conduct regular political dialogue on international issues of common interest,
fostering mutual understanding and promoting the convergence of views. It includes
essential provisions on respect for the democratic
principles and fundamental human rights, cooperation to counter the proliferation
of weapons
of mass destruction and their means of delivery and
anti-terrorism.
On the economic chapter, the Association Agreement foresees the creation
of a free trade
area between the EU and Syria, contributing to the creation of a larger Euro-Mediterranean
area by the envisaged date of 2010. The agreement covers trade in goods, services,
rules for public procurement, as well as for the protection of intellectual property
rights, co-operation in a large number of areas including on customs, transport,
tourism or environment, as well as dispute settlement provisions in line with
those in the WTO.
The agreement also comprises a chapter on co-operation in social and cultural
matters. Cooperation will extend to a wide range of fields, from education
and culture to the fight against crime, building and strengthening the rule of
law, legal and judicial co-operation, racism and xenophobia, drugs and terrorism,
movement of persons, control and prevention of illegal immigration as well as
for the re-admission of nationals and non-nationals illegally arriving on the
territory of one party from the other.
Apart from concluding Association Agreements with all partners
in the Barcelona Process (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian
Authority, Tunisia, Turkey1, and now Syria), the EU
is also negotiating free trade agreements with the Gulf
Co-operation Council, the regional grouping of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Background
In the Barcelona
Declaration (1995) the then-27 Euro-Mediterranean Partners agreed on the establishment
of a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area by 2010, to be achieved through Association
Agreements, negotiated and concluded with the European Union, together with free
trade agreements between themselves.
These Association Agreements also include respect for human rights and democratic
principles as essential elements. More recently it has been decided to add clauses
on fighting terrorism, and on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
For more information
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/syria/intro/index.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/bilateral/regions/euromed/index_en.htm
1Turkey is covered by an Association Agreement dating back to the 1960s,
which envisages eventual membership of the European Union, and the EU-Turkey customs
union.
