The agreement has been inspired through the discussions organized by the European Union in Barcelona aiming the development of support relations with the southern side of the Mediterranean Sea in order to create a mutual developed area for a long term period.
The EU-Algeria Association Agreement was signed in 2002 and entered into force on 1 September 2005. It replaces the 1976 Co-operation Agreements.
The Association Agreement has been concluded for an unlimited duration and intends to help strengthen existing ties between the Community and Algeria by establishing relations based on reciprocity and partnership.
The main components of the Agreement are (regular political dialogue; a free trade area, to be established in stages, in accordance with WTO rules, between the Community and Algeria, over a maximum period of 12 years; the Agreement contains provisions related to free trade in goods in the areas of liberalization of the provision of services, capital movements, competition rules, intellectual property rights and public procurement)
The importance of this Agreement for Algeria is represented through foreign trades reaching 60% of total exchanges with the European Union.
The Association agreement doesn't met issues for its application due to the preparation and the big efforts deployed by the government through establishing a permanent commission responsible for the preparation and the follow up ( supervised by the foreign ministry) on the date of 30th December 2004.
Implementation of technical commission in charge of following and establishing free exchange area expected in this way on the date of 23rd August 2005 (Leaded by the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
The Ministry of Commerce created a website in order to take effect the agreement of association with the European Union, accessible on internet and oriented to managers of companies, economical operators and copies of agreement has been presented to media.
In this context, it was established a technical commission in charge of following the agreement functionally on the 23rdAugust 2005.
For attention to specific two paragraphs to the following meetings:
- The first meeting concerns the opening of the negotiations around the duty services starting from the year of 2010. (Article 37.2)
- The second meeting concerns the resumption of negotiations till the year of 2010 with the aim of gradual liberalization of farm and food products in close relationship with agriculture. (Article 15)
- Finally, it shows that decisions have been made for protecting local products through:
- Devices against products market floods (Article 22)
- Devices for refund (Article 23)
- Devices for protectionism (Article 24)
- Exceptional Devices in the interest of recent industries or some sectors that have been restructured (Article 11)
Different conditions and ways of applying protectionism and refund devices fighting against market floods are limited through executive decrees published on the official newspaper number 43 on the date of 22nd June 2005.
New procedure for the liberalization of customs in relationship with the association between Algeria and the European Union.
Release of ministry of foreign affairs.
- The media and press file.
The new devices to control the exempted importations from the customs taxes in the context of free exchanges of products and services
- Executive decree number 89 - 10 dated of the 10th March 2010 shows means of following importations that are exempted from custom taxes in the context of free exchanges of products and services (Official newspapers number 17 dated of the 14th March 2010) , (you will find below this agreement attached , the request of exemption – printed edition- )
- List of products and goods that are exempted from the custom taxes when imported from the great Arabic zone of free exchanges)
List of products and goods that benefit from the custom taxes when imported in the context of the association with the European Union:
Supplementary information number 2 from the association agreement
Protocol/treaty number 2 from the association agreement
Protocol/treaty number 5 from the association agreement