Union du Maghreb Arabe (UMA)
From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations
AMU Secretariat
14 Rue Zalagh, Rabat-Agdal, Morocco
Tel: +212-37-671 274/78/80/85
Fax: +212-37-671 253
E-mail: sg.uma@maghrebarabe.org
Website: http://www.maghrebarabe.org
Description
The first Conference of Maghreb Economic Ministers in Tunis in 1964 established the Conseil Permanent Cunsultatif du Maghreb (CPCM) between Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, to coordinate and harmonize the development plans of the four countries as well as interregional trade and relations with the EU. However, for a number of reasons, the plans never came to fruition. It was not until the late 1980s that new impetus began to bring the parties together again. The first Maghreb Summit of the five Heads of State, held at Zeralda (Algeria) in June 1988, resulted in a decision to set up the Maghreb High Commission and various specialized commissions. Finally, on February 17, 1989 in Marrakech, the Treaty establishing the AMU was signed by the Heads of State of the five countries.
The following countries became members of the Arab Maghreb Union after signing the Treaty Establishing the AMU on 17 February 1989: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Since 1990, the five countries have signed more than 30 multilateral agreements covering diverse economic, social, and cultural areas. While member countries have ratified varying numbers of these agreements, only five have been ratified by all members of the union. These include agreements on trade and tariffs (covering all industrial products); trade in agricultural products, investment guarantees; avoidance of double taxation; and phyto-sanitary standards.
The AMU has not met at the level of Heads of State since April 1994, and has effectively been paralyzed by the dispute over the status of Western Sahara, annexed by Morocco in 1975. The 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government was scheduled to take place in Algeria from 23-24 December 2003, however, the meeting was postponed on the request of Libya. Algeria responded by handing over the position of chair to Libya in December 2003.
The main objectives of the AMU Treaty are to strengthen ties among Member States and to increase free movement of goods, services, and factors of production among them. Common defense and non-interference in the domestic affairs of the partners are also key aspects of the Treaty. The Treaty highlights the broad economic strategy to be followed, namely, the development of agriculture, industry, commerce, food security, and the setting up of joint projects and general economic cooperation programs. Finally, the agreement provides the possibility for other Arab and African countries to join the Union at a later stage.
The supreme institutional organ that has the authority to make decisions and to which all AMU institutions answer is the Presidential Council (Council of Heads of State); its decisions require unanimity. According to the Treaty, the Council was to meet twice a year (in 1993 this was changed from twice a year to annually), to take decisions concerning regional issues. A Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers is supposed to meet regularly to prepare for the sessions of the Council of Heads of State and to examine proposals formulated by subordinate committees and four specialized ministerial commissions.
The Union has the following financial institutions whose rules and regulations are defined in relating protocols:
- The African Central Bank
- The African Monetary Fund
- The African Investment Bank
Track Record
The AMU safeguards the region’s economic interests, fosters and promotes economic and cultural cooperation, and intensifies mutual commercial exchanges as a precursor for integration and the creation of a North African Common Market (also referred to as Maghreb Economic Space).
Challenges
At the end of 2002, only two countries, Morocco and Tunisia, had remitted their total annual payments. Other countries argued that the organization had been handicapped between 1995 and 2000 and thus have not paid their contributions.
