Assessing Market Access Preferences for Mediterranean Countries in the EU Market for Industrial Goods

The value of market access opportunities granted within the context of a preferential trading arrangement is a function of the preference margin; the presence of NTM's and other barriers to exports; and rules of origin requirements. Applying these criteria to the case of the Mediterranean Countries’ exports of industrial products to the European Union’s market, the paper shows that Mediterranean countries enjoy a substantial preference margin. Furthermore, they are not currently subject to any quantitative measures and have been relatively untouched by anti-dumping actions. On the other hand, rules of origin requirements are very complex, and may have contributed to the low level of utilization of the agreements by some of the countries of the region. The authors discuss the policy options Mediterranean Countries have at their disposal - at the bilateral, regional and multilateral level - in order to ensure that rules of origin are adapted to the level of development of their industrial base and are an instrument for the expansion of South-South trade.