The European Neighbourhood Policy in the Maghreb: a global view through the cases of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco

Abstract

This chapter addresses the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in North Africa, in the region of the Maghreb to be precise, in the period before and after the Arab Spring. The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is particularly important as it provides a new approach to community policies in the region, based on bilateralism and conditionality in the relations between each of the partner countries and the EU. The Maghreb region is considered to be of special interest by the EU and Spain because of the intensity of their political and trade relations. In that respect, the only two countries to have been singled out for privileged relations status within the ENP to date, on both its southern and eastern flanks, are Maghrebi: Morocco in 2008 with Advanced Status (COM, 2008) and Tunisia in 2012 with the Privileged Partnership (CON, 2012). This is a significant indication of the importance of this North African region for European external action.