What Are Algerian Demands in Amending the Partnership Agreement With Europe?
Participants in the conference on the Algerian-European Partnership for Sustainable Investment, titled 'Algeria-EU: New Investment Dynamics and Prospects for Cooperation' in a Changing World, agreed that the partnership agreement needs to be amended to serve both parties.
The Economic Renewal Council called for broader acceptance of Algerian products, technology transfer, and promoting joint production and investment in Algeria.
In his opening remarks, Toufik Boudjema, Director General for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, 'The partnership agreement included an important axis related to encouraging investment in exchange for opening the market to preferential trade. However, the level of European investment remains below expectations and does not reflect the potential and opportunities available in Algeria, remaining very limited compared to the volume of trade'.
The speaker considered that this situation justifies the urgent need to work together to encourage European investments in line with national priorities on the one hand and the European vision for developing the Mediterranean region on the other. In this context, the European Direct Investment Project in Algeria represents an important initiative aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of this situation to address this structural imbalance.
He highlighted the importance of the new program contributing to facilitating investments, which were agreed to be launched in the future within the framework of the 2025/2027 financial program, and continuing efforts to enhance the business climate and stimulate public-private partnerships in strategic priority areas for our country.
For his part, Omar Rekache, Director of the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency, revealed the results of the exploratory mission, which included 14 European countries, the last of which was Athens, last week.
This mission allowed the agency to present Algeria as a promising and reliable destination for European direct investment. 122 meetings were organised in 14 countries, bringing together more than 76 economic institutions and 34 institutional bodies, including chambers of commerce, professional organisations, and two investment funds. The most important sectors in which European companies expressed interest in investing were energy, renewable energy, agriculture, and the processing industry.
Rekache explained: 'I affirm the agency's full commitment to providing all necessary support and assistance to realize productive investments, in a climate characterized by transparency, efficiency, and speed of processing, and to continuing positive cooperation to serve the interests of both parties within the framework of the 2025-2027 financial program.'
For his part, Kamel Moula, Chairman of the Algerian Economic Renewal Council, outlined what Algerian economic operators expect from amending the partnership agreement with the Europeans, emphasising the desire to achieve progress in at least three key areas, including the opening of the European market to Algerian exports outside the hydrocarbon sector, as domestic production has expanded to include several sectors and is now characterised by quality and meets international standards, particularly concerning health safety in the food industry. Algeria is also working to decarbonise its industry.
Moula emphasised technology transfer, which can be achieved through joint production partnerships. This type of partnership represents a real alternative to industrial relocation for developed countries, a development opportunity for emerging countries, and a practical embodiment of the win-win principle.
He spoke about European investment in Algeria, above all else, as a sign of confidence in Algerian economic operators who are ready to welcome their European counterparts and share the Algerian market with them.
Moula concluded, 'This is why it is important for the European Union to look beyond the immediate commercial interests that have dominated our relationship to date, and to recognise that we are both capable of achieving great things together.'
In a related context, Stefano Sannino, Director General of the European Commission's Directorate for North Africa and the Middle East, who is currently making an official visit to Algeria from 21 to 24 April, to discuss with senior Algerian officials the prospects for strengthening Algerian-European co-operation, stated that cooperation between Algeria and Europe must be positive. He noted that missions to 14 countries have enabled 150 European companies to express interest in the Algerian market, with ambitious steps being taken to chart a path for joint investment between the two countries. He praised the measures Algeria has adopted to facilitate investment.
During this visit, Sannino holds talks with representatives of several Algerian ministerial departments, including Foreign Affairs, Energy, Finance, and Culture. He also took part, on Wednesday, April 23, at the Sheraton Hotel, in the opening of a conference on 'New Investment Dynamics and Prospects for Cooperation' between the European Union in Algeria, jointly organized by the Delegation of the European Union in Algeria and the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency (AAPI), in the presence of representatives of the Algerian Economic Renewal Council (CREA) and the business community in Algeria.
Sannino's visit will provide a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the EU's commitment to giving new impetus to bilateral cooperation with Algeria, within the broader and strategically articulated framework of the New Pact for the Mediterranean.
The EU aspires to a partnership that goes beyond the very strong existing relations, particularly in the energy sector, to build other strategic complementarities for sustainable and inclusive growth, in a changing geopolitical context, and in the face of shared challenges such as reindustrialisation, economic competitiveness, and the green transition. It also aims to discuss with the Algerian authorities the most appropriate framework for increasing EU investment in Algeria.
Furthermore, the EU and Algeria are called upon to deepen their strategic dialogue on current major security and geopolitical issues, counterterrorism, migration management, and energy interconnection, which are now among the shared priorities on both sides of the Mediterranean.
In this context, the EU fully reaffirms its commitment to work together with Algeria to make these priorities the pillars of a reliable, ambitious and lasting partnership, based on a peaceful and fair dialogue with all EU Member States.
It should be noted that, on the sidelines of his mission, Sannino will travel to Timimoun (southern Algeria), where he will meet with beneficiaries of the Jil Siyaha program, a concrete result of Algeria-European Union cooperation in the field of tourism. He will also explore the cultural and historical heritage of the Casbah (Algiers) before concluding his stay with a visit to the National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography of Bardo, as a testament to the cultural and historical richness of Algeria.
The visit comes as Algeria's Foreign and Commerce ministries hold talks with the North Africa Unit at the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, aimed at reviving their 'Partnership Agreement' signed in 2002.
The new Agenda for the Mediterranean was launched by the European Union in 2021 to strengthen the strategic partnership with its Southern Neighbourhood partners in trade and renewable energies, upgrading facilities and infrastructure, and managing migration and counter-terrorism issues.
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