Uncertain fate surrounds the prospects for the European partnership with Algeria!

Diego Miado Pascua, Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Algeria, revealed an upcoming visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Algeria. This visit follows the EU’s launch of a new neighborhood policy with its southern neighbors, named the “Mediterranean Compact”.

The European diplomat did not disclose the date of this visit, which will be the first of its kind for the top official of the European Commission to Algeria. However, he confirmed that it would be the first of many high-level visits for both Algerian and European officials, at a time when relations between Algeria and Brussels are in a state of stagnation, marked by tension regarding the review of the partnership agreement, which is in a state of clinical death.

In a meeting with a limited group of journalists on the occasion of the EU’s launch of a new neighborhood policy, Diego Miado spoke about other specific visits, stating that these visits would provide “an opportunity for dialogue” between Algeria and Brussels.

He pointed to the visit of Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to Brussels last May, during which he shared the Algerian perspective on the review of the partnership agreement with his European counterpart, Kaya Kallas, adding, “We consider this to be part of our overall relations with Algeria.”

The European official believes that the “Mediterranean Compact” is a “space for developing trade relations” between Algeria and the EU, denying that the new initiative is another space to replace the stalled partnership agreement.

It appeared from Diego Miado’s words that the issue of reviewing the partnership agreement is a victim of differing viewpoints between the two partner parties. Despite “Echourouk” journalist’s insistence on knowing the root causes of the problem preventing the review’s completion, the official was unable to provide clear answers to resolve the ambiguity.

He also hinted that the Euro-Mediterranean space, whether the new “Compact” or the Union for the Mediterranean, which was the project of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who entered prison this Tuesday to serve a five-year sentence, constitutes spaces that complement the partnership agreement, even if the Union for the Mediterranean initiative proved to be a failure.

In contrast, Diego Miado praised Algeria’s clarity and frankness in dealing with its neighbors on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

In response to a question from “Echourouk” about Algeria’s expected role in the Mediterranean space, he said, “Algeria does not equivocate in its partnership, and it has a clear vision that it defends, which is considered more strategic and geopolitical, and this is what makes it align with what the European Union proposed in the Mediterranean Compact.”

The European official noted that the “Mediterranean Compact” starts from the premise of a “win-win basis and a high-level partnership, this is what we stated in the Compact,” pointing out that the dimension related to trade relations is also strongly present, and he also stressed that “we have a clear vision when it comes to the issue of sovereignty.”

In his explanation of the new Compact, Diego Miado said that the idea behind the Compact revolves around “how to build partnerships and alliances that contribute to protecting the sovereignty of states here and there on a solid basis, and Algeria has its contribution to this positive dimension,” noting that Algeria was among the first countries to submit written proposals through Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf.

He considered Algeria an irreplaceable partner, especially in the energy sector, in light of the energy transition initiated by Europe following the Russian war on Ukraine, as well as its pivotal role as a security partner, especially in the Sahel region.

There are also many files that can be shared, Miado said, such as the dimension related to migration. In his opinion, the issue is not about the migration of individuals but about how to confront the phenomenon based on concrete measures, at a time when Algeria has become a migration destination, being a rich country and a state that pays special attention to the social dimension, similar to many European countries.