EU commissioner says he leaves Morocco with clear ideas of common relations
Morocco-European Union, Politics, 7/2/2001

European trade commissioner, Pascal Lamy, said on Saturday at the end of his visit to Morocco he has now clearer ideas on relationships between Morocco and the European Union at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

Lamy told a press briefing his talks with business circles, delegates of the civil society and Moroccan officials helped him have clearer ideas on the EU relations with Morocco at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

Of bilateral relations and means to activate enforcement of the association agreement, the European official conceded that although much has been done, some issue are still pending. He cited, in this regard, negotiations on services and agriculture, adding he has more precise ideas on conditions to start negotiations. He also pointed out that the EU is ready to start negotiations on the agricultural component of this agreement.

He went on talks with Moroccan officials covered the Euro-Mediterranean process and south-south integration and insisted the Union backs the Agadir initiative aimed to create a free trade area between Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. We are ready to examine how we can help in this process, he said.

At the multilateral level, Lamy said his visit was an opportunity to review with Moroccan officials preparations for the World Trade Organization upcoming visit in Doha next November and added that they agreed to focus on pending topics, mainly basic social and environment norms.

During his stay in Morocco, the European commissioner reviewed on Saturday with Morocco's prime minister, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, partnership between the two sides, other shared issues and the agriculture component of the Morocco-EU association agreement.

On the same day, he met with speaker of the house of representatives, Abdelouahed Radi, who briefed him on Moroccan representatives' concerns regarding the future of Morocco-European ties as the two sides will be starting negotiations of the agriculture component of the association agreement.

Previous Stories:
  EU official holds intensive talks in Morocco   (6/30/2001)
  Morocco plays catalyzing role in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, European official   (6/27/2001)
  Moroccan-European cooperation at the center of talks between king Mohammed and EU official   (6/19/2001)

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