EU–Algeria Trade and Energy Interests in the Framework of the EMP: The Politics of ‘Specificity’ in an Interdependent Relationship

Abstract

The economic and financial ‘basket’ of the Barcelona Declaration set out the most elaborate of the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) agendas. The potential of cooperation between the EU and Algeria for the optimisation of both parties' interests in this context is significant, considering the complementarity characterising their economies, particularly in the areas of free trade and energy. However, the dynamics of interest divergence between the EU and Algeria in the context of Association Agreement negotiations have arguably inhibited the optimisation of the dyad's relationship in this context. This article aims to assess the politics of this interaction, tracing their evolution between 1995 and 2005. It argues that, within this timeframe, the EMP had a limited impact on the negotiating priorities of the EU and Algeria, which were more influenced by extra-EMP processes.