Work package 7: Interaction with world markets and international negotiations

Team leader: CIHEAM/IAMM (France)
Other participants: CSIC, IAP, ENSAM

Description of work

EU-Mediterranean trade negotiation and liberalization is not the only change occurring in world agricultural trade. WTO negotiations are progressing towards a targeted completion date in 2005. EU 10 will become EU 25. The United States is negotiating free trade agreements with countries around the world including some Mediterranean countries. Thus, we must understand the interactions between all these other changes in world markets and agreements and the EU-MED trade liberalization.

The EU obtains fruits, vegetables, and oils from all over the world. We must also consider other EU sources of these products, likely changes in their market environment, export potential, etc. All of these interactions must be taken into account to estimate the impacts on Europe of trade liberalization with Mediterranean countries.

We will approach this analysis using both the expert panels described above in task 5 and using the models described under task 6. Drawing information from both these sources, we will produce “most likely” impacts for each of the scenarios identified in task 4.

Deliverables

This task will produce one report that will contain a description of the interactions anticipated with other world markets plus a description of the linkages among the EU-MED trade liberalization and WTO negotiations and other bi-lateral or multi-lateral negotiations or agreements.