EU's Free Trade Agreements

Syllabus of the Subject: European Union's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

1. Introduction to the European Union Trade Agreements
2. Rules of origin applicable to EU preferential agreements
   1. EU's preferential rules of origin
   2. Completely obtained / sufficiently transformed goods
   3. Minimal Operations
   4. Accumulation
   5. Tolerance or de minimis
   6. Direct transport or non-handling standard
   7. Duty drawback
3. Non-preferential rules of origin
4. Proof of origin: Form A (SPG), EUR MED, EUR 1
5. EU's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)
6. EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)
7. European Union Free Trade Agreements (FTA)
8. EU Autonomous Trade Regimes
9. Customs Unions
10. Bilateral and regional negotiations in progress.
    1. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Treaty (TTIP) with the United States

The objectives of the subject “European Union Free trade agreements (FTAs)” are the following:

1. To understand the EU's preferential trade agreements with the third countries
2. To know how to apply the rules of origin of the different agreements
3. To analyse the different existing agreements: free trade agreements, economic association agreements, customs unions, etc

EU Trade Agreements:

1. European Union-Andean Community (FTA with Peru and Colombia, 2012)
2. European Union-MERCOSUR (not in force)
3. European Union-Chile (Association Agreement, 2005)
4. Mexico-European Union (Economic Partnership Agreement, 2000)
5. European Union-Central America
6. European Economic Area (European Union-European Free Trade Association)
7. European Union-South Korea (2015)
8. ASEAN-European Union
9. European Union-Gulf Cooperation Council
10. Turkey-European Union Customs Union
11. India-European Union
12. Albania: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (2006)
13. Andorra: Customs Union (1991)
14. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (2015)
15. Faroe Islands: Trade Agreement (1997)
16. Georgia: Association Agreement (2016)
17. Kosovo: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (2016)
18. Macedonia: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (2004)
19. Moldova: Association Agreement (2016)
20. Montenegro: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (2010)
21. San Marino: Customs Union (1992)
22. Serbia: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (2013)
23. Ukraine: Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (2016) and Association Agreement (2014)
24. Armenia: Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (1999)
25. Azerbaijan: Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (1999)
26. Cameroon: Economic Partnership Agreement Interim (2009)
27. Ghana: Economic Partnership Agreement provisionally applied (2016)
28. Canada: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) (2016)
29. Ecuador: Trade Agreement provisionally applied (2017)
30. Iraq: Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (2012)
31. Kazakhstan: Partnership and Cooperation Agreement reinforced (2016)
32. Papua New Guinea (2011) and Fiji: Provisional Association Agreement
33. South Africa: Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (2000)
34. Madagascar, Mauricio, the Seychelles and Zimbabwe: Economic Partnership Agreement (2009)
35. Southern African Development Community (SADC): Economic Partnership Agreement provisionally applied (2016)
36. Economic Partnership Agreement provisionally applied European Union-Ivory Coast (2016)
37. European Union-CARIFORUM (Economic Partnership Agreement)
38. Association Agreement European Union (EU)-Algeria (2005)
39. Association Agreement with Egypt (2004)
40. Association Agreement with Israel (2000)
41. Association Agreement with Jordan (2002)
42. Association Agreement interim with the Lebanon (2003)
43. Association Agreement with Morocco (2000)
44. Association Agreement with the Palestinian Authority (1997)
45. Cooperation Agreement with Syria (1977)
46. Association Agreement with Tunisia (1998)

Sample of the subject: European Union's Free Trade Agreements (FTA)

Description of the Subject (Online Learning): The EU's Trade Agreements

The European Union is the biggest global trade player: 20% of the international trade.

China is the second-largest trade partner of the European Union after the United States.

The main objectives of the European Union's Free Trade Agreements (FTA) are:

1. To open new international markets for products and services
2. To increase the foreign direct investment flows
3. To make the International Trade cheaper (eliminating customs duties)
4. To make the external trade faster
5. To make the policy environment more predictable

Each Free Trade Agreement negotiated by the European Union is adapted to the situation of each nation.

Normally:

“The more ambitious the Free Trade Agreement is, the more benefits are to be gained from the agreement.”

The European Union has granted duty-free access for most of the imports from developing countries (Generalised system of preferences).

The European Union's Free Trade Agreements (FTA): The Arab Republic of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, the Palestinian Authority, European Free Trade Association (EFTA), South Korea, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Gulf Cooperation Council, Central America, the countries of the Andean Community, MERCOSUR, Chile, Mexico, Turkey, India, China, Lebanon, Algeria, CARIFORUM, Ivory Coast, and Georgia.

The beneficiaries countries of the European Union free trade agreements are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom (BREXIT), the Czech Republic, Romania and Sweden.

SADC-European Union

(c) EENI- Business School & Hispano-African University of International Business