The secretary general of the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union), Taïeb Baccouche, has announced his hopes of stepping up his organisation's relations with the EU and of focusing them more on the issue of migration, which he feels is a major concern for all countries, north and south of the Mediterranean alike. It affects us all, he said in an interview with EUROPE, on a humanitarian, political and socio-economic level. The AMU has five members: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania.
On 15 September, Baccouche wrote to the president of the Council, Donald Tusk, on the subject (see EUROPE 11626), making the suggestion of creating an ad hoc structure to deal with the migrant and refugee issue which equally affects the countries of the Maghreb, as a transit point, and the member states of the EU.
This structure would take the form of a permanent body, to be designed with the involvement of all players of the north and south of the Mediterranean and even at international level. A similar letter was dispatched to the secretary general of the UN.
The structure would be responsible for monitoring and setting in place jointly-adopted measures. Initially, it could come within the remit of the '5+5' group, an inter-governmental structure made up of the countries of the Western Mediterranean: the five AMU countries and five Mediterranean EU member states – Spain, France, Italy, Malta and Portugal. The five European countries have already started to move in this direction, to create a front of countries affected by uncontrolled migration flows. For its part, the AMU regularly arranges coordination meetings and brings together working groups from the five countries, both at expert and ministerial level. A meeting of experts and senior ministry officials will be held on 27 and 28 October 2016 in Rabat to discuss the issue.
Baccouche also highlighted the need to flesh out the Euro-Maghreb relationship. This, he said, is a constant component of the foreign policy of the Western Mediterranean and EU countries. On the other hand, the structural relationship of the AMU institution with the EU institution remains overall somewhat timid and needs a bilateral shot in the arm between the two institutions. He acknowledged that many not insignificant initiatives have been undertaken, but stressed that these initiatives need to go further and into greater depth within a diversified approach, in particular thematically in the direction of youth, and to capitalise on the geostrategic proximity between Maghreb and Europe. A representative to the EU has been appointed with the mission of developing the Maghreb's presence within the public affairs centres of Brussels.
This procedure must be undertaken on a voluntary basis. Indeed, the AMU is well known to be in conflict, due to the permanent dissension between its member states that has condemned it to inertia. Its councils of ministers are held rarely and the common institution seems marginalised. However, Baccouche stressed his aim of reactivating all of the AMU's decision-making structures and recently announced his intention of revising the base treaty, the Treaty of Marrakesh (signed in 1989), and to create inter-Maghreb synergies. He also plans to ensure that the decisions and recommendations agreed upon by the common bodies over the last 27 years are put into practice and monitored, and will direct this procedure towards young people and their potential future, also a stated aim of the EU in its cooperation with the sub-region.
Strengthening the bonds with Europe will be part of a sort of Maghreb neighbourhood strategy towards the EU and the rest of the African continent, which the secretary general intends to promote. He described the intensification of relations between the Maghreb region and the Arab countries, Africa and Europe as a necessity. (Interview conducted by Fathi B'Chir)