Brussels, 05/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Youssef Amrani, the new Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) secretary general, who has been officially in office since 1st July, was formally inducted on Tuesday 5 July, in Barcelona, in the presence of European dignitaries, and notably French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé, who co-presides the joint institution.
France planned on this occasion to underline the interest it holds in reactivating the UfM, which has been failing since the invasion of Gaza at the end of 2008 and since the decline in interest shown by its members. The French co-presidency hopes fresh momentum can be given, pointing out that, in the conclusions of the European Council on 24 June, heads of state and government had stated the importance of the UfM and their wish for concrete, large-scale projects to be rapidly launched. More than ever before, such projects are considered essential in the context of the Arab spring and given all the events taking place in southern Mediterranean countries.
The co-presidency affirms that Youssef Amrani's appointment is the first step towards reactivating the UfM. With a complete team and a sound budget (€6.3 million for 2011), the secretariat general may focus on projects that can rally people to the task, thus contributing to modernising the Mediterranean countries, especially as regards the economy (support to SMEs), energy (Mediterranean solar plan), practical solidarity (civil protection, fire-fighting), and mobility (especially youth and student mobility). It will have the task of identifying projects, prioritising them and finding the funding necessary.
In an interview with El Païs on Monday, Amrani said that, he too, is counting on the new context in which the UfM can accompany change, especially when it comes to South-South integration. “Europe needs to face a single discussion partner”, he said.
Amrani's main task will be to consolidate the UfM and to ensure it is respected, of use, and able to apply policies and carry out projects so that the Euro-Mediterranean area becomes a reality by conjugating efforts conducted within the UfM and those within the European neighbourhood policy. He considers that reform processes should be inevitably flanked by regional integration processes. The UfM, he said, may play an important role along this road. Amrani also considers that democracy and regional integration go hand in hand, in the Mediterranean as was the case in Europe. He regrets, however, the idea of penalising countries that run counter to this, saying that the time when Europe gave certificates of good behaviour is now over and that it is now a time for “dialogue and consensus”. He calls for mobility to be facilitated, adding that this must not be confused with immigration. Also, on the UfM's role in the peace process, Armani says that the UfM is not the appropriate framework but that it is a framework for encounter which can foster dialogue. (F.B./transl.jl)