The European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) discussed the economic and investment aspects of the Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood with members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade on Thursday 2 September. They were able to present their communication on this subject, published in February 2021.
Several MEPs asked for clarification on the involvement of civil society in the Southern partner countries. “How could we contribute to a better integration of civil societies in Southern countries in the dialogue? The Commission could establish structures similar to domestic advisory groups (DAGs) in order to have a better integration of the recommendations”, suggested Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA, Belgium).
Others questioned how to ensure that funding is inclusive. “Is there also a linked strategy to ensure financing is fairly distributed among regions and among social groups?”, asked Kathleen Van Brempt.
The EEAS and the European Commission indicated that civil society was indeed represented in the discussions. In their joint communication of February, flagship initiative n°6 concerns inclusive economies. The initiative plans to “enhance support for the deployment of a modern and just social protection system” in Morocco and Tunisia, to subsidise “sustainable and comprehensive social assistance systems” in Jordan and Lebanon and to strengthen support for inclusive dialogue in the region.
In addition, several MEPs emphasised the need for a strategy to relocate industrial production to these nearby countries, as well as to extract raw materials sustainably. “These countries are crucial to bring production sites closer to European consumers”, stressed Marco Campomenosi (ID, Italy).
The Commission explores several investment and financing tools in its Communication on Green Growth in the Southern Region.
See the Communication from the Commission and the EEAS: https://bit.ly/3h2fpyi (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)