Brussels, 07/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 7 September the European Union and the Council of Europe officially launched a programme to help strengthen democracy by supporting reforms relating to this in the countries of the southern Mediterranean and Middle East.
This €4.8 million programme was developed in three years and is financed by the EU. It draws on the experience and expertise of the Council of Europe in the domain of democratic transitions and will help participating countries conform to international and European standards on democracy and human rights. The programme comprises four axes: strengthening the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary; promoting good governance through the prevention of corruption and money laundering; strengthening and protecting human rights - including in the domain of human trafficking; and lastly, promoting democratic values.
This EU-Council of Europe cooperation is particularly aimed at Morocco and Tunisia, but also other countries in the region as part of multilateral action. “We have conducted in-depth consultations, especially with Morocco and Tunisia with whom we have started a consultation to find out how we can respond to their needs, and we have gradually validated the proposals”, said the head of division of the office of the managing director for programmes of the Council of Europe, Pilar Morales (our translation throughout). She added that this programme is complementary to the national strategies that have been put in place. During this phase of the study, discussions were also held with the EU delegations and local organisations in order to avoid doubling up on work and to assure good cooperation, said the national coordinator of the programme for Morocco, Mehdi Remili.
The project was signed on 17 January by European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle and the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland (see EUROPE 10534). (CG/transl.fl)