Brussels, 21/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The foreign affairs ministers of the Western Mediterranean, meeting in Rome for their ninth conference in the framework of the “5+5” (the five countries of the Maghreb Union, - Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania - plus Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and Malta), have decided to relaunch this process, which is still informal. It has not been ruled out that the process may be given a structure, without going as far as its institutionalisation. Their actions are related to the creation of the Mediterranean pressure group on both sides of the sea, within overall Euro-Mediterranean policy. “The 5+5 dialogue is the hard-core of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and represents a North-South partnership model which is capable of consolidating the complementarities and solidarities between the two shores of the Western Mediterranean”, said the 10 ministers, at a meeting attended by the secretary general of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and Commissioner Stefan Füle (our translation throughout).
A declaration to present the joint conclusions on the subjects discussed (politics, economy, security and immigration) has been announced (EUROPE will report on this) and at the end of their meeting, the ministers are likely to extend their meetings to Egypt and Greece within another framework, Forumed, which is still informal and of which Libya is not a member.
There are an increasing number of cooperation frameworks in the Mediterranean, as well as those under the aegis of the EU (Euromed process, Union for the Mediterranean). The 5+5 seems to be the most solid, because it is based on the “useful Mediterranean” and is relatively removed from the negative influence of the conflict in the Middle East. “Born in 1990 from the observation that relations within the Mediterranean are complex, closely linked to shared history, (it) helps to give priority to delicate bilateral relations without a global vision or any real regional collaboration”, explains Jean-François Coustillière, who coordinated a book which has just been published (L'harmattan publishing house) with the title “Le 5 + 5 face aux défis du réveil arabe” (The 5 + 5 facing the challenges of the Arab awakening; only available in French). “The process is bouncing back and we can feel that it is bringing with it many hopes of a resumption of dialogue in the Mediterranean.”
“Due to their geographical proximity, but also their human proximity, the members of the 5+5 have voluntarily chosen informal, discreet, practical relations, more technical than political and, above all, within a genuine partnership. The procedure has everybody on board in a need for fairness, reducing the suspicion of hidden agendas. The 5+5, which takes different forms depending on the dossiers, is flexible and adaptable. Non-binding and highly attentive to the priorities of the various members, it constitutes a tool to which all of the partners is very committed. In this way, it can be seen as an experimental laboratory to benefit other initiatives in the Mediterranean.”
Is the revitalisation of the 5+5 related to the virtual breakdown of the Euromed process (UfM)? “Even though there have been a number of hazards which have slowed progress, we can clearly see that it has not been influenced by the problems of the Barcelona Process or the breakdown of the UfM, marked by its virtual shelving since the end of 2008. At the start, the exemplary fields of work of the 5+5 could lead those involved in the other initiatives to wonder about the real reasons for their problems and to draw experience from the channels opened up by the 5+5.”
“This process remains modest in its ambitions, but the confidence it has built up, slowly and surely, will be the foundation for broader cooperation in the future. Let us not hurry events, let us not create any new ambitious and expensive institutions before we have established solid confidence as partners. Recent examples show that wanting to move too quickly, without taking account of the complex nature of situations, can only lead to failure and mismanagement, or even to negative progress.”
The book, therefore, goes no further than to “take stock of the situation, a snapshot of this initiative before moving on to reflect on the best ways to proceed to keep hold of what has been achieved, whilst launching new areas of work. These raise prospects which take account of the aspirations manifested by the people both during the Arab revolutions, but also in the 'movements of the outraged people' further to the north. Various points of view are expressed with the sole intention of proposing axes for direction and greater depth, without aiming to revise a procedure which needs to find its balance by working flexibly and autonomously. If the procedure needs to be coordinated and monitored by the foreign ministers concerned, then each dossier must keep its freedom of organisation and functioning, depending on the choices of its members. It is at this price that the procedure will maintain the strong sense of commitment of its members in full autonomy, mutual attention to each other and equality of these members.” Slowly but surely, in other words. (FB/transl.fl)