South-South Agreements in the Framework of North-South Integrationthe Case of Morocco in the Euro-Mediterranean process

Resumo

The hub and spokes structure that characterises Euro-Mediterranean relations is often attributed to the lack of integration among Arab countries. Successive regional projects implemented in areas like the Maghreb have been supported by empirical evidence on the potential welfare effects of trade and the costs of non-integration. However, the high interest in these aspects contrasts with a limited effort to investigate the root causes of non-integration. The aim of this work is to understand the reasons behind the apparent contradiction between the potential of South-South regionalism and the limited scope of its achievements in the Euro-Mediterranean area. Taking into account the intricate relationship between economic integration and foreign policy affairs, this thesis analyses the interplay between the different frameworks that coexist in this area through a historical review that focuses on the interests of the agents involved. The case of Morocco shows the role of preferential agreements in the continuity of economic relations prior to decolonisation and the role of international institutions in their settlement. In particular, archival research on the Association Agreements following European integration offers an interpretation of Euro-Mediterranean trade that contrasts with institutional analyses of the same phenomenon. The path of the European Union’s neighbouring countries suggests that South-South agreements in this framework were designed to strengthen North-South relations in a context of open regionalism favourable to the interaction between economic blocs. Thus, the critical analysis of South-South agreements implemented since the 1980s in the Euro-Mediterranean area calls into question the causality between economic integration, trade and welfare that conventional theories presuppose. And, consequently, it invites to reconsider the pertinence of assuming the potential welfare effects of integration as straightforward determinants of integration processes.