Hommam Al Nassim 
Algeria is facing severe criticism from the European Union after it decided to reduce its imports of European cars and agricultural products.
The European Union considers this step a threat to its economic interests, which prompted it to increase pressure on Algeria, which seeks to strengthen its trade relations with China, Turkey and other countries.
The European Union is considered Algeria’s first trading partner, as their trade exchanges represent 51% of Algeria’s total trade. However, China ranks first among individual countries in trade partnership with Algeria.
European exports to Algeria have witnessed a significant decline over the past decade. While the value of European exports to Algeria amounted to $22.3 billion (20 billion euros) in 2015, they fell to $14.9 billion (13.9 billion euros) in 2023, and the decline was particularly concentrated in the agricultural and automotive sectors.
The European Commission accused Algeria of imposing non-tariff barriers on car imports, such as more stringent requirements for obtaining licenses and the use of locally manufactured spare parts and considered that these policies are almost equivalent to an import ban.
She expressed her concern about Algeria’s policy of replacing imports with local production, imposing restrictions on trade with Spain, and capital transfers between the two countries.
Algeria has adopted a policy aimed at diversifying its trading partners, which strengthens relations with countries such as Turkey, China, Brazil, and Russia.
This policy aims to reduce dependence on traditional partners from Europe and strengthen local industry, especially in the agricultural and automotive sectors.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune seeks to strengthen Algeria’s economic and political independence, and Tebboune stressed avoiding requesting foreign loans from institutions such as the International Monetary Fund to preserve the country’s independence.
The European Union is concerned about the reduction of economic cooperation with Algeria and prefers Algeria to continue importing European products. The increasing military cooperation between Algeria and countries such as China, Turkey, and Russia also raises the concern of the European Union.
Current Algerian policies reflect a strong desire to enhance economic independence and diversify trade relations, which presents the European Union with new challenges that require rethinking its strategy towards Algeria.
The coach of the Algerian national team slaps his players during a match against Tunisia (video)