Barcelona, 26/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 November, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who is also the co-chair of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), said she was pleased about the opportunity for ministers from the 43 UfM countries to exchange their views on the region's outlook at their informal meeting in Barcelona.
This meeting, Mogherini said, was useful for initiating important work together against the current backdrop of terrorism, general peace issues and economic challenges faced by the Mediterranean. The informal meeting was also being held at the point when the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue (the Barcelona Process which was then transformed into the UfM) has been in existence for 20 years, said the other co-president of this informal UfM meeting, Jordan's Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Judeh, who reiterated the difficult context of this dialogue and of the meeting itself (the number of real participants has not been given).
Mogherini, Judeh and UfM Secretary General Fathallah Sijilmassi stated that this was an important time. It is marked by the breadth of the challenges currently posed and by the need to launch practical debates for fighting terrorism, establishing peace and committing to a common effort for development and responding to the needs of young people. The UfM is reported to be in the process of being transformed into a “constructive actor”. It is also important to underline the lack of financial instruments.
Mogherini highlighted the economic stakes: “the Mediterranean is the focus of disturbing events” and major challenges, but is also the “least integrated region in the world”, and trade, which is essential for development, is extremely imbalanced (90% of Euro-Mediterranean trade being done between the EU member states, 10% between the two shores of the Mediterranean, and only 1% between the countries of the southern shore). During the press conference, Sijilmassi spoke of the big axes of the UfM's work and of the importance given to the UfM in the neighbourhood policy.
Mogherini and Judeh responded to questions on Syria by reiterating the diplomatic steps that are currently being taken. For Judeh “the message is clear”. There is also the big humanitarian challenge of the Syrian refugees for the world and particularly for Jordan. (Original version in French by Fathi B'Chir)