EU Agricultural Development Policies in North Africa

This policy paper examines the lessons from the failed negotiations over the EU–Tunisia Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (ALECA) and what they reveal about the political, economic and social role of agriculture in North Africa. It shows that agricultural cooperation between the EU and countries in the region cannot be understood only as a technical trade issue but must also take into account questions of food security, local livelihoods, national sovereignty and the growing geopolitical competition in the Mediterranean. Drawing on the Tunisian case, the authors explore why the ALECA negotiations faced strong public opposition, what this tells us about the limits of EU trade-driven approaches, and how future cooperation could shift towards more sustainable, locally rooted and climate-resilient agricultural partnerships. According to the authors, the failure of ALECA revealed that agriculture is not merely an economic sector but also a deeply political issue in North Africa. 

What lessons should the EU learn from the failure of ALECA? How can cooperation with North African partners better support local farmers and food security? And what role can EU member states such as Czechia play in shaping a more sustainable approach to agricultural development in the region? This policy paper offers answers to these questions.