Answer given by Ms Malmström on behalf of the Commission

23.7.2015

Negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with Morocco started in 2013 and DCFTA negotiations are currently also under preparation with Tunisia and Jordan. Negotiations with Morocco on a visa facilitation agreement and readmission agreement started in 2015 and are currently under preparation with Tunisia and Jordan.

To ensure a comprehensive approach to various strands of external policy, the ongoing trade and visa facilitation negotiations, in particular provisions related to trade related mobility, should be part of an overall package offer for each respective country. Trade, visa and readmission agreements therefore need to be negotiated in parallel — and also partner countries have usually made links between the negotiations.

In view of this, Commission services are coordinating their positions ahead of discussions with the above three partner countries, in full compliance with the negotiating directives received by the Council. In particular, seeking synergies between the migration and the trade policy areas, the EU endeavours to ensure that provisions on movement of natural persons supplying services (so called mode 4) are consistent with, and properly complement, the proposed conditions for visa facilitation. This should allow for enhanced mobility in two directions while maintaining all security safeguards.