Sometimes, a position taken extends beyond its political objective and assumes the value of a handbook for action, as long as it sets out stable principles for the future unconnected to the day's events. I am not referring to the major declarations that are generally valid for the whole gamut of different circumstances but to the strategy that, according to Jacques Delors, should guide the European attitude towards the Arab Spring. His text is available on the Thinking a United Europe website (http://www.notre-europe.eu ). I will provide a rather brief outline to some of the aspects that I would like to underline.
1. Security is not everything. The EU must abandon its preference for security, which has for a long time characterised its line towards southern and eastern Mediterranean countries and which led it to support regimes that were in no way at all democratic and which repressed their respective populations. According to Mr Delors, this security-orientated approach, “recently led it to disproportionately highlighting the potentially negative impact of ongoing developments, in terms of migration or possible terrorist threats”.
2. Provide incentives to countries developing appropriately. “Preventing the economic situation getting worse in these countries experiencing major change will help to consolidate and prolong the political progress achieved”. Mr Delors considers that this will require a massive aid plan consisting of: humanitarian aid; development aid; loans from the EIB, EBRD and national operators; investment projects in tourism and energy and the mutual opening up of trade, including agriculture. Implementation must be carried out in a way that is appropriate to, “the degree of political modernisation of beneficiary countries” and which avoids, “too onerous conditions that could delay or reduce the support these countries urgently need”.
3. Clear agreements on immigration. By refusing to over-dramatise the controversy provoked by several thousand migrants coming to Europe, Jacques Delors is seeking to, “manage immigration flows with the countries from whence these immigrants come and step up controls of illegal immigration by concluding readmission agreements with these countries. It is also imperative to send these countries another message by making visas for students and teachers easier to obtain and increase the number of possible outlets for immigrants with special vocational skills”. In the medium term, “the challenge of immigration for ageing European countries needs to be tackled calmly at a multilateral level and for which foreign labour is a solution more than a problem”.
4. Differentiated application of neighbourhood policy. Jacques Delors leaves aside some of the absurdities that would be provoked by allowing EU accession to Tunisia and other African or Asian countries and which would make European construction even more remote. Nonetheless, he gives his full support to neighbourhood policy as developed by the European Commission and which highlights the shared values and differentiation between the countries benefiting from this policy and which advocates, “additional advantages to countries that tackle their recurrent problems of nepotism, corruption, improper solicitation of monies, etc”. The EU will have to become, “intransigent with countries that ride roughshod over fundamental rights”, whilst doing all in its power to support civil society wherever this may be.
Stamping out the irregularities. The principles put forward by Jacques Delors largely correspond to what the EU is currently doing on the ground. Clarification is what counts, in addition to how practices are codified and which are sometimes vague and imprecise. A tough response to any irregularities on both sides is also required:
a) the outrageous claim of those who describe an “Arab springtime farce” and whose bad faith exaggerates, “the widespread Islamic terror in Egypt… Qaddafi defying the West and the latter's impotence to see him overthrown… Hezbollah back in the driving seat in Lebanon again” and so on and so forth;
b) excess in the other sense and which calls for exemptions to rules on the right of asylum to be granted to illegal immigrants who do not have this right. This would have a negative impact on the way in which the Schengen area operates and on the practices employed by certain European governments and public opinion in Europe.
The principles advocated by Jacques Delors would help EU standards to be respected and also protect the border-free area, a fundamental accomplishment of European construction. It would also launch several initiatives that could help to facilitate and encourage regular exchanges (not illegal immigrants) of students, teachers and professionals, which would benefit both parties. (F.R./transl.jl)