HL Deb 05 July 2004 vol 663 cc63-5WA
Lord Pearson of Rannoch

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With which non-European Union countries the European Union has free trade agreements; and, in each case, when the agreement entered into force. [HL3440]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:

The European Union has an extensive network of free trade agreements (FTAs).

The EU's longest-standing FTAs are those with the countries of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). The FTA with Switzerland dates back to 1972, and came into force on 1 January 1973. FTAs in goods with Norway and Iceland entered into force in 1973, 1 July and 1 April respectively. These last two countries, along with Liechtenstein, are now covered by the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 1974.

As regards the EU's candidate countries, the customs union between the EU and Turkey came into effect on 1 January 1996. The pre-accession Europe agreements with Romania and Bulgaria came into force in February 1995, and liberalise over 95 per cent of each country's trade with the EU.

A stabilisation and association agreement. including an FTA, with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia entered into force on 1 May 2004; the FTA element of the SAA with Croatia came into force provisionally on 1 January 2002 pending the ratification of the full agreement. These render reciprocal the trade concessions granted to these three countries, as well as to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, by the autonomous trade concessions agreement of 2000.

The EU also has association agreements, again including FTAs, with several Mediterranean countries, as part of its goal (through the Barcelona, or EuroMed, process) of the creation by 2010 of a free trade area covering the EU and Mediterranean partners. Such agreements have entered into force with Jordan (1 May 2002), Morocco (1 March 2000), Tunisia (1 March 1998), Israel (1 June 2000) and Egypt (1 June 2004). Interim FTAs with the PLO (for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority) came into force on 1 July 1997, and with Lebanon on 1 March 2003.

In Latin America, an association agreement with Chile came into force on 1 February 2003 (on a provisional basis). The FTAs in goods and services established under the EU-Mexico Economic Partnership, Political Co-ordination and Cooperation Agreement came into force on 1 July 2000 and on 1 March 2001 respectively. A trade, development and co-operation agreement, also including an FTA, with South Africa entered into force provisionally on 1 January 2000.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With which non-European Union countries the European Union is currently negotiating free trade agreements. [HL3441]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:

The European Union is currently in the process of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Co-operation Council (comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). Association agreements, which include FTAs, are being negotiated with Syria and with Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). A stablisation and association agreement, also including an FTA, is under negotiation with Albania.

Economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries will replace the 2000 Cotonou agreement and institute FTAs with six sub-groupings. Negotiations have begun on EPAs with west Africa (the ECOWAS states—Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo—plus Mauretania), central Africa (the CEMAC states—Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon—plus Sao Tomé e Principe), eastern and southern Africa (the COMESA states—Angola, Burundi, Comoros, DR Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), and the Caribbean (the CARICOM countries—Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines. Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago—plus the Dominican Republic). Negotiations with the SADC states and with the Pacific sub-group are due to begin later this year.