Development by Free Trade? / Developpement A Travers Le Libre-Echange?: The Impact of the European Unions Neoliberal Agenda on t

One year ago the negotiations between Tunisia and the European Union about a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement (DCFTA) had started in Tunis. Experts from both sides of the Mediterranean accepted to contribute to this book in order to foster the public debate in the North-African countries by informing actors of the civil society about the risks of this new generation of free trade agreements of the EU for the respective countries and their population. In fact, by analyzing the impact of the structural adjustment programs of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria since the late 1980s followed up by the EU's free trade policy, the authors seriously doubt about the positive effects on development and prosperity promised by the promotors of free trade. They underline, on the contrary, that it is the EU which profits from the asymmetric power-relations in order to pursue its economic and especially its security interests related to "illegal migration".

Publi un an apr s le d but des n gociations sur l'Accord de libre change complet et approfondi (ALECA) entre la Tunisie et l'Union europ enne, cet ouvrage veut contribuer au d bat public dans les pays concern s et alerter les acteurs de la soci t civile sur les risques que comporte cette nouvelle g n ration des accords de libre- change de l'UE. Les experts nord-africains et europ ens r unis pour d battre des enjeux de la politique conomique de l'UE vis- -vis des pays de l'Afrique du Nord mettent s rieusement en cause la promesse de d veloppement et de prosp rit du libre- change. Analysant l'impact de cette politique entam e par la Banque mondiale et le FMI depuis les ann es 1980 en Tunisie, en Alg rie et au Maroc et poursuivie par l'UE, ils soulignent au contraire que l'UE profite de l'asym trie des relations de pouvoir pour poursuivre ses int r ts conomiques et s curitaires li s la migration ill gale .