The Trade Flows between Algeria and Europe: A Historical Overview and An Empirical Evidence

The idea of establishing a free trade agreement between Algeria and the EU is mainly driven by the development of a European strategy. The new generation of free trade agreements is different from the partnership and cooperation agreements of the sixties and seventies, respectively. The former agreements had mainly focused on the trade relations between the EU and the Mediterranean countries; whereas, the new agreements are broader than simple preferential trade agreements, and are extended to the financial, technical and economic cooperation. That is, the FTA and the DCFTA pave the way for real platforms on economic, social, political and cultural cooperation. For Algeria, the negotiation efforts have finally resulted in the signing of the free trade agreement after 21 rounds and over four years of negotiations.