Jordan-Euro Association Agreement

The EU signed an Association Agreement with Jordan on Nov 24, 1997, was ratified by the Jordanian Parliament in September 1999 and came into force on May 1, 2002 after being ratified by all the 15 EU countries. The signing of this agreement came in light of Jordan’s commitment towards trade liberalization that was accelerated since the mid 90s. The agreement revolves around three major themes; political, economic and financial, and social and cultural:

Political and Security Partnership:
This section addresses the principles that govern cooperation in the political field. This initiative involves a dialogue that leads to the adoption of common principles by the partners, emphasizing the achievement or movement toward peace, security, democracy, human rights, and regional development as the engine for change.

Economic and Financial Partnership
This component aims at establishing a Euro-Jordanian Free Trade Area over a transitional period of twelve years. The free trade area shall be based on the provisions of this Agreement as well as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the General Agreement on Services (GATS). The association agreement covers: trade in industrial and agricultural products, right of establishment, trade in services, payments and capital movements, competition, intellectual property rights, financial co-operation, economic co-operation in the field of industry, agriculture and investment, standards and measurements, transportation, telecommunications and energy, science and technology, environment and tourism, statistics, and the fight against illegal drugs. Also, in this regards, the MEDA programme has been updated to offer technical and financial support to the Mediterranean countries to allow them to implement the necessary economic reforms and to lessen the consequences of economic transformation.

Social, cultural and Human Partnership:
This section addresses the principles that govern cooperation in the cultural and social fields. Emphasis is placed on education, training, youth, culture, women’s role in development, migrant population groups and health. Greater co-operation in the field of home affairs and justice is also envisaged, with action in particular against drug trafficking, terrorism, and international crime.

View the full text of the agreement, and annexes

Visit the official website of the Jordan-Euro Association Agreement