EU to start trade talks with Egypt and Tunisia

The European Union's member states agreed on Wednesday to start trade talks with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, with the aim of lowering trade barriers and bolstering economic growth in the North African and Middle Eastern states, Reuters reports.

Trade cooperation is part of the EU's broad efforts to support democratic transition in the region after popular protests toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya this year.

The four countries are members of the World Trade Organization and already have agreements with the EU on trade in goods. New talks would aim to extend that to areas such as agriculture and services, as well as building up regional cooperation.

"Compared to the current trade relationship between the EU and these countries, the (trade agreements) will go beyond removing only tariffs, to cover all regulatory issues relevant to trade, such as investment protection and public procurement," the executive European Commission said.

European governments have already started talks with the Tunisian and Moroccan governments on migration issues such as visa policies, the return of illegal migrants and border security.