Trade between the European Union and North Africa has been a contentious issue since the Treaty of Rome. Serious diplomatic attempts to broker a resolution resulted in the Association Agreement between Morocco and the EU in 1995, after protracted negotiations over three years. Here Dawson analyses the process by which a sub-optimal agreement was ratified - unfavourable to Morocco, some member states of the EU and also wider EU economic objectives for North Africa. He draws on a rich vein of testimony from key players to show how democracy deficits in Morocco and excessive pressure group influence in the EU led to skewed negotiations. An insightful analysis of the trade negotiation process, EU Integration with North Africa elucidates the underpinnings of the global economic order; it will be valuable for those concerned with international relations, globalisation and the EU, especially North Africa.

Carl Dawson holds a PhD in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and was Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Morocco from 2002 until 2008. He played a key role in the implementation of the free trade agreement between Morocco and the United States, and in the creation of the Council of American Chambers of Commerce of the Middle East and North Africa. He previously worked as an economic and political analyst for a Moroccan investment bank, and as special projects coordinator for the Fulbright Commission in Morocco, where he was based for thirteen years.