The relevance of the ACAA agreement between Israel and the European Union
for Romanian citizens
The European Parliament will have the opportunity this week to adopt a trade agreement with wide-ranging benefits for European citizens, including Romanians. This EU‑Israel Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) agreement will eliminate technical barriers for products traded between the EU and Israel, and pharmaceuticals will be one of the most important sectors covered by the agreement.
I would like to emphasize a few points on how ACAA will further enhance the cooperation between the European Union and Israel and why it is relevant for Romanian citizens.
ACAA will facilitate the import of high-quality and affordable medicines into the EU and will lead to a more diversified range of choice for medicinal products for European patients. Thus, if in 2011 the import of low-cost high-quality medicines from Israel to Romania was worth over €8 million, the ratification of the ACAA agreement will offer the Romanian patients the possibility to benefit from a considerably larger range of Israeli products.
Also, this trade agreement comes at a time of shortage of high-quality and affordable generic medicines in the European Union and of strained national healthcare budgets because of pressure to reduce spending. In this case, ACAA could support the Romanian authorities in improving cost savings for national reimbursement schemes on medicines and rebalance the national healthcare budget.
In addition, the ACAA protocol would ease right of entry for EU pharmaceutical companies looking to export to Israel, a relevant aspect considering that the two-way goods trade represented nearly €30 billion in 2011. This creates clear business opportunities in an industry segment that is a leading employer and driver of economic growth in Europe. Romania is an appropriate example, taking into account that 20,000 Romanians were employed in this sector only in 2010. Through ACAA, the Romanian pharmaceutical industry would experience a better market access in a developed and affluent regional market, thus determining an increase in job creation.
ACAA agreements are not limited to Israel. Rather, they are important parts of the EU’s wider trade strategy with partners in the Euromed region. However, Israel is the first country to meet the prerequisites for signing such a protocol and both the European Commission and Council of 27 EU Member States have approved it. In the spirit of cooperation and good faith, the Israeli Parliament began implementing the requirements of ACAA in 2010 in anticipation of a final ratification by the European Parliament, which could take place after a positive this week.
Israel is a leading country in innovation in health care products and services and the approval of ACAA will undoubtedly play a significant role in deepening the cooperation between the EU and Israel in this field. This cooperation will definitely provide also Romanian citizens with more accessible health and pharmaceutical products.
Dan Ben-Eliezer
Ambassador of the State of Israel in Romania