Suchergebnisse

Nach einem Überblick über die Beziehungen zwischen den europäischen Institutionen und Marokko seit 1957 beschreibt der Autor die langjährigen Verhandlungen, die im November 1995 zum Abschluß eines neuartigen Assoziierungsabkommens zwischen der EU und Marokko führten. Hauptschwierigkeiten bildeten das für Spanien wichtige Fischereiabkommen sowie der Zugang marokkanischer Agrarprodukte zum europäischen Markt. Am Ende waren die marokkanischen Konzessionen an die EU größer als die europäischen an Marokko. (DÜI-Cls)

Since the establishment of the three European Communities (the European Coal and Steel Community [ECSC] in 1952 and the European Economic Community [EEC] and the European Atomic Energy Community [Euratom] in 1958) four agreements of association with non-member states have been concluded. The first of these was signed by ECSC and the United Kingdom on December 21, 1954. The other three agreements, concluded by EEC with Greece, with a number of newly independent African states and Madagascar, and with Turkey, were signed on July 9, 1961, July 20, 1963, and September 12, 1963, respectively. During the last few years other countries in Europe and Africa have expressed a desire to become associated with EEC, and preliminary discussions that may eventually result in additional association agreements are now under way with Austria, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda. Only Euratom has so far refrained from negotiating an association agreement although the Euratom Treaty contains provisions identical to those of the EEC Treaty for the conclusion of such agreements.

The objective of this paper is to elaborate current and capital provisions in the European Union Association Agreements with the Mediterranean countries and their compatibility with the EC Treaty and the international multilateral agreements. These provisions can be classified into two categories. The first has fully liberalised current payments and demanded the progressive liberalisation of capital movement. The second has liberalised capital movements and demanded the progressive liberalisation of current payments. Accordingly, the outcome of this classification is that the Association Agreements, firstly, could not promote the liberalisation of current payments and capital movements in the Mediterranean countries. Secondly, they lag behind the virtual free movement of capital and payments among the parties. Finally, they could not recognise the relationship between current/capital transactions and the IMF, GATS and GATT.

The choice for Eastern Partnership countries between the Eurasian Customs Union (CU) and the EU with its Association Agreements (AA) (including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements) is a political decision: the CU will never go as deep into the structure of the economy as the EU-oriented AAs. To a large extent the CU has followed the set-up of the EU, albeit under the institutionalised dominance of Russia. However, many potential CU member states are reluctant to join, especially now, in view of the Crimea crisis. One may ask whether countries are free to join or not join the CU, such freedom being a condition for regional integration.