European Union Violates Three Clauses Of Association Agreement With Algeria!

The Algerian Government is poised to review the Association Agreement with the European Union. Customs and export figures for the last three years confirmed that the national public treasury lost more and more dollars after the EU curtailed its imports from Algeria, especially in terms of oil and gas, and energy products in general.
The European Union has not fully complied with the provisions regarding 110 items included in the Agreement.
The Algeria-EU Association agreement supposedly deals with the promotion of investment of the Europeans in Algeria, as well as with the free movement of goods and the support of Algeria to join the World Trade Organization “WHO”, but such an accord has on the whole remained ink on paper and did not see its way to the light on account of its gross imbalance detrimental to the Algerian economy.
The President of the National Association of Algerian Exporters Mr. Ali Bey Nasri said in a statement to “Echorouk” that the Europeans have only committed themselves to the commercialization of the agreement, which is forcing the Government today to enforce a review of its contents.
Algeria has of late banned the import of 851 products, from any foreign country, in accordance with articles 11, 15 and 16 of the Association Agreement, but the latter shall have the right to seek its amendment if it considers that the Convention does not serve the interests of its own country.
Mr Ali Nasri also underscored that the Association agreement with the Europeans has been politically and diplomatically successful for Algeria, but it has clearly failed economically and commercially, especially during the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 until 2017, as the EU countries curtailed energy imports of oil and gas from Algeria.
He also stressed that the first review of the agreement was carried out in 2009, following the global financial crisis and the recording of a balance of payments deficit, which prompted the Algerian Government to take a series of measures to slash expenses in line with the then supplementary finance law, and thereby to undertake a revamping of the partnership accord with the European Union.
The President of the Association of Algerian Exporters added that the most important revision of the partnership agreement with the Europeans at the time was to postpone the implementation of the customs clearance of the products concerned by the agreement from 2017 to 2020, excluding some products from the total of 1,058 products concerned by customs reductions and compensation by notably raising wheat and beef to 7 thousand tons, and this after getting the relevant response by the parties concerned.
In a reaction, the Trade Minister Mr Said Djellab stated earlier this week that the relationship between Algeria and the European Union is based on consultation and negotiation, and that Algeria does not receive orders from the European Union, insofar as each party is acting in the interest of his own country.

This follows the European Union’s protest against the list of 851 imported products banned from entering the Algerian market, an adverse situation which incurred heavy financial losses to the European countries.