What Prospects for the Lifting of Technical Trade Barriers in the Mediterranean? Insights from the Turkish Case

Abstract

This article assesses the potential of mutual recognition agreements proposed by the European Union to Mediterranean partner countries (MPCs) to bring about convergence around EU technical regulations and standards in the Euro-Mediterranean zone, thus lifting technical barriers to trade. In doing so it contributes to the study of policy convergence and region-building in the EU's neighbourhood. It first presents the reasons to believe that, prima facie, trade considerations are too weak an incentive for the MPCs to effect across-the-board alignment with EU technical legislation. It then illustrates this point by a study of Turkey's alignment with EU technical legislation, arguing that such alignment was largely motivated by the external incentive of accession. Finally, it shows that these findings match with initial developments in the MPCs, draws lessons for regional policy convergence prospects, and assesses these from a normative perspective.