Strasbourg, 14/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Union should commit to its neighbour countries as long as they respect human rights and work towards democracy, MEPs agreed on Wednesday 14 December. In their adoption of the report by Mario David (EPP, Portugal) and Marek Siwiec (S&D, Poland), the MEPs got behind the Commission's latest approach to the European neighbourhood policy. During the debate on the day before, Siwiec highlighted the need for a “uniform” and “integrated” aspect of this new European neighbourhood policy, with both the East and the South of Europe. “There are no geographical divisions, human beings are equal and want a better life, wherever they are”, he explained.
The European Parliament stressed the need to include real incentives for the countries, with the principle of “more for more”, which David described as “more fair and correct”. The MEPs stress that policies focusing on results and individualised, depending on the realities and on the political, economic and social performances of the countries, should be set in place.
The MEPs also reiterated the importance of civil society and of independent and free media. They call on the EU to step up its support to shape and structure political players. David said that it is important to “prioritise relations with the general public and civil society in the European neighbourhood policy, which will give it greater effectiveness on the basis of universal values (…)”.
An important point that Parliament has been underlining is the necessity of enhancing regional cooperation and setting up a partnership on the question of mobility, with particular emphasis on a Euro-Mediterranean Erasmus programme for facilitating student exchanges.
MEPs are calling for an increase in the EU budget towards the European neighbourhood and partnership instrument, and demand that a critical examination be carried out of the financial instruments used in the past in Eastern and Mediterranean countries. Göran Farm (S&D, Sweden), speaking for the parliamentary budgets committee, called for “improved coherence and transparency” so that there is no need for other instruments to be superimposed. (CG/transl.fl)