Brussels, 17/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 16 July, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle met Secretary General of the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union) Habib Ben Yahia in Brussels. According to an official press release, they spoke about strengthening cooperation in the Mediterranean and the security situation in the Sahel close to the Maghreb.
The EU decided last December to engage in dialogue with the five countries of the Maghreb. “The EU proposals focus principally on the development of the political dialogue, especially on the issues of security and defence, as well as on the promotion of human rights and democratisation”, an official source stated. In its proposal of December 2012, the EU suggested a broad range of measures to support Maghreb's integration endeavours. Energy issues were also tackled.
The most fruitful framework would be the 5+5 dialogue (countries situated on the shores of the Western basin, 5 members of the EU, and 5 members of the AMU). In this intergovernmental framework, key elements such as security are the subject of close consultation between countries directly affected by issues of terrorism, of free movement of persons (legal and illegal migration), and of risks linked to human movements. This consultation encourages the countries situated on the shores to coordinate the control of human flows and the flows of material that could be used for acts of terrorism. The events in Mali and the attack on the Algerian gas field (In Amenas) have highlighted the need to fight Jihadi movements.
Current opinion is that the process is making slow progress due to the lethargy that affects the common Maghrebi structure based in Rabat. Its activities are hindered by the persistence of discord between Algeria and Morocco. In order to remedy this, the Maghrebi ambassadors in Brussels were given responsibility - at a recent Council of AMU ministers - for liaising with the European institutions. Various meetings have taken place between the ambassadors and also with Füle as part of the COPS. However these meetings do not reportedly go beyond simple consultation. “They [the Europeans] don't know what to do and they ask us our opinion” on all the points on the agenda, particularly on the situation that could come about after the political upheaval in Egypt - a country that is not an AMU member, however - a diplomat from the southern shore confided to us. Regret was expressed at the “lack of consensus” from Europe on relations with the region and on the exaggerated focus on security aspects.
At the end of his meeting with Ben Yahia, Füle spoke of the EU's determination “to establish a more regular dialogue between the Maghreb and the European Union, using modalities that will have to be defined jointly”. He said that he looked forward to “continuing this process of finding practical actions to advance the integration in the region and the cooperation between the EU and Arab Maghreb Union”. He gave no further details. (FB/transl.fl)