71.   The Commission has also been mandated to negotiate similar accords with the three former Soviet republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

72.   The Commission is negotiating similar accords with the Baltic states and Slovenia.

73.   The EU has already signed similar accords with Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

74.   The Hitachi-Bechtel alliance is expected to spur other heavy machinery makers to look for similar accords amid fierce competition.