Brussels, 07/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - At their meeting in Rome, Italy, last week, parliamentarians in the EuroMed Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) chose one of its presidents, Abdelwahed Radi, speaker of the Moroccan parliament, to take over from his Italian counterpart. At this annual meeting, talks focused on events in the region and an official press release explains that EMPA “condemned violence of the Gaddafi regime and expressed backing for movements seeking to bring democracy to the region. The aim: to send a clear, united message to strengthen the Union for the Mediterranean at this difficult historical juncture.”
EMPA parliamentarians published a statement condemning Libya's violence, expressing solidarity with protesters calling for democracy in the region and urging that further international assistance be provided, such as United Nations sanctions and EU action (taking Gaddafi to the International Criminal Tribunal, issuing an arms embargo, freezing assets and refusing to allow regime members to travel in Europe). The statement calls for the return of the countries' wealth, siphoned off into foreign bank accounts by the previous leaders and calls on the governments of Union for the Mediterranean to use all means necessary to immediately respond to the situation and encourage development and political change in the region.
EMPA called for a “Marshall Plan” for the area. “A new Marshall plan should enable us to improve economic relations and development, but also improve security in the region. We cannot open a channel for a huge influx of desperate persons coming to Europe. We call for a new plan for the European Investment Bank to invest in the region, as was done by the EU to improve stability in the Western Balkans back in the 90s”, said Franco Frattini on behalf of the PA-UfM's (Union for the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly) rotating presidency. Philippe Maystadt, President of the European Investment Bank, said that the bank was prepared “to step up its activity and support small and medium-sized enterprises in the region, with up to €6 billion in the next three years, a budget figure which is still pending approval from the EU.”
“The European Union has not been sufficiently far-sighted in the past, but we can no longer ignore the problems of the Mediterranean region”, admitted Gianfranco Fini. He said the disillusion generated by the deadlock with the Union for the Mediterranean in the past should be replaced by great expectations, in the light of the extraordinary opportunities to now get the cooperation process between the North and South of the Mediterranean up and running. “This is a historic opportunity for our Euro-Mediterranean Assembly to revive its original mission and to assert its ambition”, said EP President and UfM Assembly Vice-President Jerzy Buzek. “I want to clearly state that the Union of the Mediterranean has to make real progress that would allow for more economic and financial integration, creating empowering job opportunities, especially for all unemployed young people. Important projects for our peoples are still only on paper; they have to be implemented. We know in Europe that only concrete achievements can create solidarity between the peoples”, explained the president of the European Parliament. (F.B./transl.fl)