The EU Green Deal and the Maghreb Countries

The Policy Center for the New South and Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI) are pleased to organize a webinar under the theme “The EU Green Deal and the Maghreb Countries” on Thursday, October 21, 2021 starting 15:00 GMT+1.

In December 2019, the European Commission adopted its landmark European Green Deal, an ambitious policy package intended to make the European Union’s economy environmentally sustainable. The goal is to reach climate neutrality by 2050, and to turn the transition into an economic and industrial opportunity for Europe. An agreement was also recently reached on the European climate law which turns the EU’s commitment to reduce its net Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels) into a legal obligation under the “Fit for 55” package unveiled on July 14th 2021.

In addition to GHG abatement goals, this package includes among others, a proposal for its long-discussed carbon policy measure, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM), a charge levied at the borders of the EU, meant to avoid carbon leakage and encourage EU trading partners to accelerate their decarbonization strategies.

Another important and explicit goal of the European Green Deal is to strengthen the EU’s global leadership. One of the ways it seeks to do this is by establishing environment, energy, and climate partnerships with the states of the EU’s southern neighborhood, including Maghreb countries. The EU can achieve this by pursuing key policy actions that could collectively be embedded under ‘Green Deal diplomacy’.

In this framework, this webinar will serve as a platform to discuss the following questions:

1. The European Commission was clear when publishing the European Green Deal that Europe will not be able to achieve its goals by acting alone. The EU will need to use its influence, expertise, and financial resources to mobilize neighbors and partners in this shared endeavor. Such an approach is also in line with the EU Global Strategy and the European Neighborhood Policy. How can Maghreb countries derive benefit from the EU green deal?
2. The scope of the policy initiatives set out in the Green Deal will extend beyond EU borders. Indeed, one key external dimension of the EU green deal will be its implications for its southern neighbors in the Maghreb region and the impact on their trade, possibly unleashing profound socio-economic transformations in the region. One example is the EU’s energy transition, which will steer it from classic fossil fuel trade toward new schemes such a cross-border power grid interconnectivity and green hydrogen trade. What can be the geopolitical impact on oil exporting countries – i.e. Libya, Algeria and Egypt - and how can the EU engage with those countries to foster their economic diversification? Besides energy, what other new ties need to be spurred with Maghreb countries in order to safeguard their socio-economic welfare?
3. The EU shares strong economic ties with Maghreb countries and is their prominent trade partner. The Maghreb countries have engaged in different degrees to the Paris agreement and will thus be affected disparately by the EU CBAM if it comes into effect. What is the expected reaction of different countries in the region? What are the countries expected to embrace and those that are expected to retaliate against this measure?