The EU will support the establishment of a joint Israel-Palestine Authority-Jordan free trade zone, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy told “Globes”.
Lamy said the EU would urge granting the entire region a substantial reduction or even complete exemption from customs duties on exports to the EU.
Lamy added that talks on the subject had begun following an official request by senior Israeli officials. He said he expected that progress would be made at the next Euro-Med conference in Palermo on July 7. European Commission officials will raise the matter at the conference.
“At this stage,” said Lamy, “the likeliest probability for an agreement of this kind will be through a Pan-European-East Mediterranean agreement under the Barcelona Declaration [the MEDA Euro-Mediterranean Partnership between the EU and 12 Mediterranean basin countries, announced in November 1995]. An agreement will serve the interests of the EU in encouraging the regional economies, reducing the economic gap between countries, and help strengthen economic relations between countries and businesspeople.”
Lamy spoke on Saturday at the opening of the World Economic Forum conference in Jordan. Israel and Jordan’s ministers of industry are expected to ask the EU to recognize the free trade zone established by the US.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on June 22, 2003