The first states to sign such an agreement were Greece (1961) [2] and Turkey (1963). [3] 7. In many cases, the Association Agreement replaces a cooperation agreement and thus strengthens relations between partners. 2. the intention to establish close economic and political cooperation (more than mere cooperation); 3. the creation of administrative bodies responsible for the management of cooperation, responsible for making decisions involving the contracting parties; 4. Offering the most favoured treatments in the nation; 5) the creation of a special relationship between the EC and its partner; 6. Since 1995, the clause on respect for human rights and democratic principles has been systematically introduced and is an essential element of the agreement; A European Union Association Agreement (A.A.) is a treaty between the European Union (EU), its member states and a non-EU country, which establishes a framework for cooperation between them. Among the areas that often fall under these agreements is the development of political, commercial, social, cultural and security relations.
The legal basis for the conclusion of association agreements is provided by Article 217 of the Treaty ON THE EUROPEAN Union (Article 310 and 238 TEC). The Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia) and the Eastern European countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, but without Russia, which insists on the creation of four COMMON EU-Russia areas) fall under the EPI. Seven Mediterranean countries have established a „Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement“ (EMAA) with the EU, while Palestine has an interim EMAA agreement. [4] Syria signed an EMAA in 2008, but the signing was postponed sine die. Negotiations for a framework agreement with the remaining Libyan state have been suspended. The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine of the Eastern Partnership have entered into association agreements. Armenia concluded A.A. negotiations in 2013, but decided not to sign the agreement,[5] while Azerbaijan was negotiating an AA. In addition to these two policies, free trade agreements have been signed with other states and trading blocs, including Chile and South Africa.
The agreement with Kosovo was the first to be signed after the Lisbon Treaty came into force, which brought down the EU`s legal personality. [2] [3] An EU representative in Kosovo stated that „unlike the ASA with other countries in the region, this agreement will be exclusively the EU agreement. The EU will sign them as a legal entity. [4] The agreement did not have to be ratified individually by each Member State, some of which did not recognize Kosovo`s independence. [5] The representative added: „Since Kosovo is not recognised by the five Member States, we had to adopt a directive stating that the signing of the agreement will not mean that the EU or any of the countries will recognise Kosovo as a state.“ [4] In recent history, these agreements have been signed within the framework of two EU policies: the Stabilisation and Association Process (AP) and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Trade agreements between the EU and other countries or free trade zones have different implications for national economies. The agricultural industry is most affected when regional farms face competition from large producers who have access to markets in the event of lower tariffs. In major agreements such as the AA with Mercosur, European countries are significantly opposed to cheaper imports of meat and other products. [136] However, for the automotive and export manufacturing industries, which generally include larger global groups, significant increases in volume are evident for more industrialized members of trade. [137] Successive amendments to the agreement were introduced in the original document.
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