Brussels, 14/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - The informal meeting of EU and Southern Neighbourhood foreign affairs ministers in Barcelona on Monday 13 April (see EUROPE 11293) ended with an affirmation of their resolve to fight together, and with determination, against terrorism and the uncontrolled flows of migrants. Of note is doubtless also the desire to relaunch the regional dialogue - which all consider to have broken down. The break down of ideas added to the paucity of means and the difficulty of “playing collectively” has now resulted in the need to adapt the approach proposed under the neighbourhood policy.
In the current circumstances affecting the region, two subjects seem to dictate - terrorism and the illegal flows of humans. The two are sometimes inter-related. Multiple sources report that all the ministers agreed to deal with these issues urgently. And all the ministers note the need to respond powerfully, not only to stamp out the worrying phenomena but also through prevention - which requires the support and means to plug economic and social frustration. Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, said that his country proposes the formation of an international court which would probably not be linked to the International Criminal Court in The Hague (because not all the states agree with this) but which would be separate. UNESCO would be part of it for the defence of “immaterial goods of humanity”.
No concrete result was expected - the meeting served to confirm the resolve to work together to address the challenges posed to Europe and its neighbours on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. In the view of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, the important issue is to work together “more and more effectively” in all the subjects of common interest. She underlined the duty that all have to respond collectively on terrorism and immigration, and she mentioned the issue of the Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, and Libyan refugees in Tunisia, as well as economic development and energy.
Mogherini also expressed the desire for such meetings to be repeated in order to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, and she said she hoped that these meetings could be organised every year. Nevertheless, she does not necessarily advocate institutionalism. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) itself seems marginalised - and is little mentioned in action, at a time when speeches focus more on “differentiation”, which runs counter to the desire to promote common action, as one astute observer notes. Most of the southern countries, especially the three countries of the Maghreb, called for more bilateralism and for each to be treated according to its specific characteristics and merits. “We want to go far”, the Tunisians state. Others, like Algeria, highlight their attributes in supplying Europe with oil and gas. Morocco, for its part, plays its geostrategic profile.
“There is no resistance” to formalising the (Euro-Mediterranean) framework and there are plenty of opportunities for dialogue, said Mogherini, noting that the bilateral meetings or visits on the sidelines of international sessions have enabled the dialogue to be maintained usefully. The essential issue, in her view, is apparently to tackle the subjects that are great challenges for this region (which is one of “the most turbulent in the world”.)
Garcia-Margallo plans to organise a meeting of representatives from the great religions before the end of the year. Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said at the start of the meeting that “the common commitment between the two shores of the Mediterranean will enable the barbarism of terrorism to be beaten and will enable a common area of freedom, stability and prosperity to be promoted”. (Fathi B'Chir)