Ex-post Evaluation of the impact of trade chapters of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements with six partners
This Interim Report provides an ex-post evaluation of the impact of trade chapters of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements with six partners (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia). The project has been commissioned by the Directorate General for Trade (DG TRADE) of the European Commission and it is being implemented by the Consortium consisting of the Center for Social and Economic Research and Ecorys, supported by the Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Institutes of Economic Sciences (FEMISE).
The purpose of the ex-post evaluation is to assess the achievement of the main objectives of the trade chapters of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements (thereafter Euro-Med FTAs, FTAs).
The main objectives of these Euro-Med FTAs were:
- to promote trade and expansion of harmonious economic and social relations and to establish the conditions for the gradual liberalization of trade in goods, services, and capital between the EU and SM partner countries (i.e., promotion of Euro-Med trade);
- to encourage intra-regional integration by promoting trade and cooperation both within the region and between it and the EU Community and its Member States (i.e., promotion of intra-Med trade).
This ex-post evaluation focuses on the extent to which these objectives have been reached in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of the FTAs for the current trade issues faced by the EU and the six partner countries. It also assesses these Euro-Med FTAs in terms of their coherence with the overall Euro-Med and European Neighbourhood policy frameworks, with the objectives of the Euro-Med Association Agreements (AAs) and the objectives of current EU trade policy. The ex-post evaluation also provides comparative and sector-specific assessments o fthe extent to which the various institutional developments and business environments, as well as policy choices made in specific policy areas, helped the six SMCs take advantage of the Euro-Med FTAs.
