Brussels, 13/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the general secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) signed a memorandum of understanding in Brussels on Tuesday 13 January, marking their desire to coordinate action on the Mediterranean region.
The “resolve to work and act together” was also expressed by UfM secretary general, Fathallah Sijilmassi, and EESC president, Henri Malosse. The EESC is the coordinator for the platform of the ESC and similar Euro-Mediterranean organisations.
One of the hopes expressed by the two parties is to see a Mediterranean ESC emerge or, failing this, a structured assembly - which would almost be an institution - of the ESC and similar committees from the whole Euro-Mediterranean area. Thus “the two parties sharing the objectives set out in the Paris statement of 2008 [founding the UfM] underline the importance of the active participation of civil society” in this policy. And, according to the text signed on Tuesday, “the ESCs of the Mediterranean believe that their joint activities can contribute effectively to the strategic role of the UfM being at the service of societies in the Mediterranean countries”.
This “resolve to work together” will be put into practice as part of the mandate given to the UfM's secretariat by the governments of the UfM member countries - a mandate which, Sijilmassi said, must be executed by respecting three axes: firstly, the institutional obeying the intergovernmental approach; secondly, civil society, the private sector and local authorities; and thirdly, financial contributors.
The ESCs thus intend to act more strongly on implementing a Mediterranean policy which, Malosse said, “the EU has too long neglected”, losing “the direction of priorities”. He believed that 20 years after the launch of the Barcelona process, “the time has come for results”.
One of the bases for work will be to contribute to, and to weigh up, the ongoing review of the neighbourhood policy, added José Maria Zufiaur, the head of the EESC's foreign relations section. He mentioned areas covered by the reflection that has already begun on the involvement of civil society for a wider consensus, mobility, the right of asylum, and also energy and business policy. A document is soon to be presented as an “action plan”, he said. (FB)