The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, announced, on Wednesday 19 February at a hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, that the new ‘Pact for the Mediterranean would be presented “in the autumn, probably in September”.
Ms Šuica explained that the ‘Pact’, a “ basic document for the Commission's five-year mandate”, would cover both a global partnership in sectors of common interest and concrete investment initiatives to make this partnership a reality. “These elements must correspond to the specific characteristics of our partners”, the Commissioner explained. She cited tourism and cultural cooperation, university exchanges and placed particular emphasis on energy cooperation. According to Dubravka Šuica, the ‘Pact’ can also include external aspects of migration and security, “all of which must be done with full respect for human rights”.
The Commissioner stressed that the relationship should be mutually beneficial for the EU and its partners. “Our neighbours are looking for economic opportunities, access to clean technologies and energies, and solutions to investment problems”, she summarised, adding that these countries were interested in sustainable growth and jobs, while 50% of their population is under the age of 24. Ms Šuica therefore said she hoped that European companies would set up in Mediterranean countries.
She promised that the ‘Pact’ will be shaped in collaboration with the European Parliament, the Member States and partner countries.
The Gulf. The Commissioner also announced that the EU wanted to discuss partnership agreements with the Gulf States. “We are having a fruitful discussion, but we also intend to launch a bilateral dialogue with the six countries to discuss a partnership agreement with them”, she explained. Ms Šuica said she was “fairly optimistic” about the progress that could be made before the next EU/Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which she said would take place in October. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)