Steffen Wippel
The
Agadir Agreement and Open Regionalism: The New Forum for Integration on the
Southern Shore of the Mediterranean in the Context of Multiple Regional
Orientations
EuroMeSCo Papers 45,
EuroMeSCo Secretariat at the IEEI, Lisboa, September 2005 <http://www.euromesco.net/media/euromesco_paper_45.pdf>.
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and
Jordan took the decision to combine their bilateral trade arrangements to form
a common free trade area at a time when Arab Mediterranean countries saw the
increasing need for more regional integration. At the same time the issue did
not progress any further in the Arab world. This paper focuses on several
institutional and geographical aspects of economic integration under the Agadir
Agreement and the context in which it was realised. Some introductory remarks
highlight the background of the agreement, focusing on the worldwide growing
regionalisation and some of its characteristics, as well as on the progress of
the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP). The second chapter presents the steps
towards greater economic integration of the four signatories of the Agadir
Agreement, the final outcome of which is to be a wider Mediterranean Arab Free
Trade Area (MAFTA). Among the provisions of the agreement, common rules of
origin are of special interest. The subsequent chapter deals with the economic
relations between the Arab Mediterranean countries and will focus on trade
volumes, shares and intensities since the 1990s. The next chapter examines the
conflicting or complementary relation of the Agadir Agreement to other regional
orientations of its current and potential member states, mainly in the rest of
the Arab world and sub-Saharan Africa. It first of all explores their
participation in regional institutions and goes on to analyse existing
directions of trade. A special section examines conflicting trade provisions. Another
chapter looks at the mental maps of observers and local agents. It concentrates
on Moroccan opinions voiced on the country's regional affiliations and the
significance of the Agadir Agreement in relation to other regional groupings. In
conclusion, final proposals will discuss the multiple options in overlapping
economic areas and possible adjustments to effect a viable and advantageous
integration in the region.