Brussels, 07/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 6 June, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) - the Catalan institute that works towards developing Euro Mediterranean cooperation - presented the European Parliament and Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle with the “Mediterranean Yearbook”. This document analyses the main events that occurred in the region in 2011. In addition to a detailed report written by a number of different academic writers, the document also provides an account of the recent developments on the southern banks of the Mediterranean, in addition to a presentation of European institutional developments and their impact on Euro Mediterranean relations.
Andreu Bassols, director general of IEMed, explained that “changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty are particularly significant”. He pointed out that “the whole system has been rearranged and new balances in inter-institutional relations are beginning to see light… these changes obviously affect Euro-Mediterranean relations as a whole” as well as related issues, such as access to European territory and the decision-making process. In the region's current context, the EU has displayed a certain slowness of response, “partly due to the lack of consensus”, he writes. “Much will now depend on the effectiveness of the new EEAS, which is semi-autonomous and a real hybrid administration at the core of the new EU external relations system.”
The report also underlines the bigger role played by the European Parliament, which can now “be considered as a real co-legislator” with the Council of Ministers, even though the role it can play in the field of external relations should not be overstated.
Füle asserted that “the situation in the Southern Mediterranean remains volatile.
We know that transition will take time and will be difficult, with a few setbacks. However, there is a general trend in several countries towards more democracy. … Unfortunately, we cannot say yet that all countries are firmly on a path of sustainable democratisation.” For Füle, the situation in Algeria, Egypt and Libya remains uncertain and Syria remains a “cause of grave concern”. Throughout the region, “people's expectations remain very high and governments know that they have to change”. In this context, “we have sent the right signals” that the EU is willing to engage with the new leaderships “in its Southern Neighbourhood and support transitions; of course, we do so based on a clear assumption that the new leaderships will respect democratic values”, explained the commissioner. (FB/transl.fl)