PM Abdelmadjid Tebboune: “Algeria Is Committed To Agreements With The EU”

Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune reiterated Algeria’s commitment to respect its international obligations with foreign partners, especially with the European Union, but without ever giving up its sovereign right to protect its interests, confirming that Algeria is not currently ready to join the World Trade Organization.

Speaking at a press conference after the members of the National Assembly approved the government’s plan of action, Tebboune said he respected the views that defend Algeria’s involvement in the World Trade Organization (WTO) but said the priorities of the stage required diversification of economy, boosting competitiveness of national products and strengthening exports.

“We are now in a world where we must redouble our efforts to defend our national interests and protect our economy from the sweeping globalization that does not recognize any barriers and abolishes all that is national, because the stage requires it.” he said. 

“Protection of the national economy is sovereign. In Europe and America, strict protective measures and measures were introduced. All the agreements that were signed by Algeria with foreign partners have protective articles that allow Algeria to adopt regulatory measures in the field of foreign trade”.

“I received considerable understanding from the representatives of the European Union’s economic missions regarding the actions that are taken by Algeria in that direction”.

Regarding the amendment and adaptation of the laws that are governing the economy and the instability of legislation in Algeria, Tebboune said that this phenomenon is healthy and reflects the acceleration of the dynamics of the national economy in various fields. However, internal economic data is characterized by change and instability. Therefore, the legal arsenal must be updated and adapted, as the exchange rate is currently $ 107.8 billion, after it was in the limits of $ 114 billion by December 2016.