The Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Barcelona in November 1995 set the year 2010 as the target date for the gradual establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA) . This is to be achieved by means of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements negotiated between the European Union and its Mediterranean Partners, together with Free Trade Agreements between the Mediterranean Partners themselves.
The European Union has set itself the objective of achieving sustainable development internally and promoting such development worldwide. In this context, trade liberalisation is not perceived as an end in itself, but rather as an essential tool contributing to sustainable development. The impact of trade measures needs to be assessed, therefore, in terms of environment, social and economic effects.
The European Commission has, therefore, recently commissioned an independent sustainability impact assessment (SIA) study of EMFTA which will examine the potential impacts of agreed trade measures on sustainable development. The major objective of this SIA study is to provide a reliable and widely accepted analysis and understanding of the impact of trade measures on sustainable development, in the context of ongoing and future trade negotiations for the EMFTA.
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