Reviving Trade Agreement between EU and Syria

Amid diplomatic moves to enlist Syria's help in stabilizing neighboring Iraq, the European Parliament called for activation of a stalled European Union trade and aid agreement with Syria, by way of an incentive. The agreement, signed in 2004, is the missing link in a series negotiated by the EU with the aim of creating a pan-Mediterranean free trade zone. The agreement has not been activated due to suspicions of Syrian involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri. The 2004 accord includes tariff cuts on agricultural products; removal of technical barriers to trade, trade in services, and government procurement; intellectual property rights; and trade dispute settlement mechanisms.The EU is already Syria's main market, accounting for more than 40 percent of exports.