Key Notes

EUROMED

Background
Following on from the guidelines already drawn up by the European Councils in Lisbon (June 1992), Corfu (June 1994) and Essen (December 1994) and the Commission proposals, the European Union decided to establish a new framework for its relations with the countries of the Mediterranean with a view to forming a partnership.

This partnership became reality at the Barcelona Conference of 27 and 28 November 1995 which brought together the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the 15 EU Member States and the following 12 Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. The League of Arab States and the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) were also invited to attend, as was Mauritania. (N.B. Libya currently has observer status at certain meetings).

This conference laid the foundations for a process designed to build a multilateral framework for dialogue and cooperation between the EU and its Mediterranean partners. At the meeting, a Declaration and a work programme were unanimously adopted by the 27 participating countries. This Euro-Mediterranean Declaration establishes a multilateral framework bringing together economic and security aspects and also comprises a social, human and cultural dimension.
These three dimensions are:

the political and security aspect, which aims to establish a common area of peace and stability;

the economic and financial aspect, which hopes to allow the creation of an area of shared prosperity;

the social, cultural and human aspect, which aims to develop human resources and promote understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies.

The EU and the Institutions involved in Euromed
The Mediterranean is a key external relations priority for the EU. The European Parliament participates in the framework of its competencies and, as a political body, supports dialogue and defends the EU's common values such as human rights and democracy in the area. The EP, together with the Council, fixes the annual EU budget allocation for MEDA and other regional budget lines for the Mediterranean region.
The Council of the EU as well as the European Council provide political impetus, leadership and guidance as well as serve as global decision-makers within this policy area.
The European Commission, through its External Relations Directorate-General manages - inter alia - relations and association and co-operation agreements; implements the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership; supports the establishment of a Euro-Med Free Trade Area; manages the MEDA Programme (the principal EU financial instrument for the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership). For 2000-2006, MEDA has a budget of €5,350 million. These grants from the Community budget are accompanied by substantial lending from the European Investment Bank; for 2000-2007, the EIB’s Euromed II lending mandate is €6,400 million. The bank committed itself to contribute a further €1,000 million from its own resources and at its own risk over the same period for transnational projects.
The European Parliament also contributes by adopting resolutions on Mediterranean policy (latest EP adopted resolution on Euromed: 20/11/2003). Latest Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - to prepare the VI Meeting of Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Naples, 2-3 December 2003 (Barcelona VI).

The EPP-ED Group
The EPP-ED Group's strategic priorities for the years to come include, among others, the intensification of our strategic partnerships also to the Mediterranean countries.

In this framework, we reiterate that new impetus must be given to the Barcelona Process, more emphasis being put on democracy, respect of the rule of law, human dignity and on economic and social development as well as on intensifying cultural dialogue also by the means of the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation on Culture and Civilisations. Our Group will strive for the timely implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Zone - as foreseen in the Barcelona Agreements - and for the deepening of its dialogue with its North-West African partners, in order to help them establish the Union of the Arab Maghreb. We encourage the South-South co-operation process and, in this context, we underline the importance of cross-border projects with a view to improving and strengthening regional co-operation.

Our Group demanded the transformation of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum into an Assembly with consultative powers. The Assembly, established in Naples on 2 December 2003, will have 240 members, 120 from the Mediterranean partner countries and 120 from Europe (75 from national parliaments and 45 from the EP). We reaffirm the need to ensure, by means of dialogue, mutual knowledge and understanding, the stability of the Euro-Mediterranean area with a view to improving the living conditions of the people of the region and maintaining peace. We strongly support the co-operation and solidarity on both sides of the Mediterranean basin in the fight against terrorism and worldwide organised crime. We are also concerned in making the utmost effort to politically support the Mediterranean partners to improve the management of migration flows and border controls, also by calling on the European Union to provide the countries of origin and transit with the necessary technical and financial assistance. Our closer goals are, inter alia, to support the implementation of a policy of economic openness and liberalisation within the Euromed Partnership, accompanied by a sustainable policy of internal development aimed at creating a productive social fabric, infrastructures which take account of the needs of the Mediterranean countries. This goal is aimed at the implementation of policies for creating a rich social fabric that will help people not to abandon their countries of origin in order to give free choice to emigrate or remain and built up the country's own economy. We think that our Group should also promote an EU debate with a view to a multidimensional concept of Euro-Mediterranean agriculture. Moreover, we want to encourage the conclusion of the agreement with Syria as well as calling for a faster ratification of the already-signed association agreements between single Mediterranean countries and the EU in order to fully implement the Euromed Process. In the same framework, we will support Libya and Mauritania to fully participate in the partnership, if these countries finally reconsider their position.

In parallel to this, a stronger political commitment from the European Union in the Middle East must be pursued and we will play our role through a clear and balanced input to the peace process in the framework of the Quartet (EU,UN,USA,Russia).