The General Affairs Council meeting adopted the regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin which supposes a single legal instrument. This convention is going to facilitate the application of identical rules of origin for the purpose of diagonal cumulation of origin for goods traded in the Euro-Mediterranean zone.

On behalf of the EU, the Council authorised the conclusion of the regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin. The Convention is intended to overcome the difficulties in the management of the current network of some 60 bilateral protocols on rules of origin among the countries or territories of the Euro-Mediterranean zone. Besides, this complements actions such as the launching of the Commission's proposal for a new European Neighbourhood Policy in May 2011.

According to the Council, the main objective of establishing a single regional convention is to facilitate the application of identical rules of origin for the purpose of diagonal cumulation of origin for goods traded in the pan-Euro-Mediterranean cumulation zone. The convention aims at replacing the current pan-Euro-Mediterranean system of cumulation of origin based on individual protocols applicable between two partner countries, with a single legal instrument in the form of a regional convention on preferential rules of origin.

The European Council called in March 2011 for the development of a new partnership with the region, founded on deeper economic integration, broader market access and closer political cooperation. It called, in particular, for rapid progress to be made on pan-Euro-Mediterranean rules of origin. The EU signed the Convention on 15 June 2011.