Summary :

The political implications of these results are as follows. First, it is illusory to consider bilateral free trade agreements as capable, on their own, of increasing trade flows between the two shores and developing the agricultural sectors of the SEMCs. In fact, and given the vulnerability of agricultural products, without accompanying upstream measures, the opening of the European market in the agricultural sector, in particular that of fruit and vegetables, would bring only a limited advantage to these countries. In addition, support for the modernization and adoption of new technologies that respect the environment and meet the requirements of the European market is necessary so that the SEMCs can really benefit from the liberalization of agricultural trade with the EU. Secondly, the harmonization of agri-environmental measures between the Common Agricultural Policies and those introduced by PSEM is strongly recommended and should make it possible both to increase the competitiveness of their sectors and to facilitate access to the European market. This raises an important point about the trade agreements being considered or being negotiated as it is important to take into account the slowness of the process related to the transformation of agricultural production systems (eg conversion to organic farming, training and adaptation of farmers to new technologies). As a result, appropriate deadlines must be taken into consideration by both parties. Finally, it is clear that the harmonization of non-tariff measures in a second step according to the international system would be a lever to increase agricultural trade and integrate more fully into the global economy.