Brussels, 09/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The secretary general of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Fathallah Sijilmassi, expressed his “satisfaction” following the conclusions of the second summit of the “5+5” group in Malta composed of European and North African countries (see EUROPE 10705), and he is delighted at the strong impetus this gives to dialogue in the Mediterranean.
Sijilmassi, who took part in the summit's work, notes that the UfM is a “privileged” instrument that is to the service of cooperation, to be developed and desired by the heads of state and government. He said the latter make the UfM a framework for the coordination of projects in order to give concrete substance to projects in fields as diverse as support for SMEs, job creation, transport and energy infrastructures, the environment, water management, the promotion of synergies in education and in many other fields.
The western Mediterranean leaders and also the president of the European Commission have made a firm, two-fold commitment. The first commitment is to give substance to Euro-Mediterranean dialogue so much cited over the past two decades but which has hardly been implemented in concrete terms for political as well as institutional reasons. The second commitment is to make the UfM the focal point for cooperation and for the launching of common projects. That support comes in addition to support expressed by European rim countries and by the EU as a whole, and especially the European Parliament. The EU today assumes the co-presidency, which has given clearer clarification of the stakes and framework of the Euro-Mediterranean policy. Everyone feels this is necessary but either does not know how or is unable to translate it into concrete and coherent cooperation.
The UfM has changed, Sijilmassi admits, saying that the UfM of 2012 is not what it was in 2008. Its mandate has become clearer and is focused on promoting more ambitious projects relating to concrete elements and action to be conceived and identified, and the search for ad hoc financing. More than the structure, it is the method that has changed, he said. Sijilmassi points out that, little by little, the countries and the institutions of the region, including the EU, confirm the seriousness of that approach. Not only is there support from the rim countries but also from the EU as a whole, which is fully committed to making the UfM a practical instrument for providing a concrete response in order to meet the aspirations of the peoples of that region.
Far more than the institutions, the private sectors and multilateral financial sectors (World Bank, Deauville partnership, etc.) must also continue to be mobilised. Chambers of commerce, agencies for the promotion of investment and financing bodies must be regular partners of the movement that has now begun, said Sijilmassi. He noted that there are a growing number of different interlocutors and partners who come to hold working sessions at the seat of the UfM in Barcelona and, as he pointed out, the “UfM label” is increasingly sought after.
Sijilmassi has also noted a change of mood and better coordinated mobilisation thanks to the combined efforts of all partners, which makes the UfM more committed along a new, more dynamic and concrete road that he trusts will prove successful and constructive. Sijilmassi said they must seize that opportunity and strengthen the synergies and coordination between the different working frameworks in the Mediterranean. He notes with satisfaction that the UfM today effectively works with the European Neighbourhood Policy as well as with the other regional structures such as the Arab League, and the Arab Maghreb Union. He said it is necessary to give preference to cultivating concrete results on the ground and to be a force that proposes action. (FB/transl.jl)