Jordan-EU

Diplomatic relations between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the European Union were established in 1977, a year that witnessed the signing of the Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 1978.

Level of Representation:

Accredited and Resident Ambassador to the EU in Brussels, H.E. Ambassador Yousef Bataineh, presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the European Council, H.E. Mr. Donald Tusk, on April 26, 2015.

Accredited and Resident Head of the EU Delegation to Jordan in Amman, H.E. Ambassador Andrea Fontana.

Relations between Jordan and the EU are based on:

The Euro-Med Partnership, which was launched during the Euro-Med conference held in Barcelona in 1995, to establish an ambitious policy with long-term objectives aiming at enhancing cooperation between the EU and the Mediterranean Countries, as the declaration of Barcelona included the following points:

Political and Security Partnership.

Economic and Financial Partnership.

Partnership in social and cultural affairs.

Jordan-EU Association Agreement: This was signed on 24/11/1997, and entered into force on 1/5/2002, to replace the Cooperation Agreement signed in 1977. The agreement aims at establishing a Free Trade Area between both sides after 12 years of its entry into force. The Free Trade Area was established in 2014, and helped to increase economic growth and business, in addition to creating a comprehensive framework for political, financial and social cooperation.

The first Jordan-EU Association Council was held in June 2002 in Luxembourg and the Action Plan was adopted in 2005; several sub-committee meetings have been activated to monitor the implementation of the Action Plan for the different sectors (trade and investments’ promotion, agriculture, scientific research and technology, customs, human rights and good governance, social affairs and justice and security). Jordan was the first ENP partner to establish a sub-committee on human rights and good governance.

European Neighborhood Policy: Jordan is an active and constructive partner in the ENP, showing a strong commitment to a wide range of social and economic reforms and taking steps towards political reform, which has been implemented since the establishment of the Kingdom.

Jordan and the EU adopted a Partnership Priorities agreement “PP” in December 2016, which replaced the aforementioned Action Plan. The PP is considered an advanced step in enhancing bilateral relations. Moreover, the annex of the PP, the “Compact”, aims at supporting Jordan in facing the tremendous impacts of the Syrian refugee crisis.

The last Jordan-EU Association Council was held in Brussels on July 10, 2017, during which a Jordanian Statement, EU Statement and a Joint Communiqué were released, which mention the achievements and latest developments in bilateral relations since the last Association Council held in 2014.

The Embassy/Mission follows-up on the activities of the European Parliament, where the Embassy/Mission attends and participates in various sessions of  interest to Jordan and the region, which are held on a regular basis at the European Parliament. Additionally, the accredited Ambassador meets on a regular basis with the Chairs of parliamentary Committees and Delegations, in addition to Members of Parliament from different political groups, to exchange views and provide them with the latest developments in Jordan and the region and to explore different scopes of cooperation to strengthen Jordan’s capabilities and support the Kingdom in facing the challenges of the region, especially the refugee crisis, extremism and terrorism.

 

On 10/10/2016, the Embassy/Mission officially launched the “Group of Friends of Jordan” in the European Parliament. The group includes influential MEPs representing the main political parties in the European Parliament: the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, the Conservatives and Reformists, and the Liberal Democratic Alliance.

 

The Embassy/Mission facilitates the visits of Committees and Delegations from the European Parliament to Jordan. The latest visits were from the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countrie and the Group of Friends of Jordan