Strasbourg, 16/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - After the debate in plenary session,, the resolution of the Block Report, summarized in EUROPE of 15 November, p.16, was partially amended, without however the general thrust in favour of rekindling and strengthening the Euro-Mediterranean process being altered. Essentially, Parliament calls for:
a) negotiating mandates for bilateral agreements between the EU and third Mediterranean countries to be made more flexible, taking further account of "the needs expressed by the populations of the Mediterranean countries" (amendment tabled by Boudjenah, Morgantini, Marset Campos and Miranda, for the United Left); this in order to facilitate completion of negotiations and conclusion of all the agreements;
b) there to be joint reflection in view of coordinating Mediterranean agricultural policies (amendment tabled by Sakellariou, Napoletano and Nair);
c) the balance between EU funding to Mediterranean countries and other regions close to the Union to be respected;
d) the problem of the respect of human rights to be raised with Mediterranean countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels (amendment tabled by Mr. Gasoiba I Bohm), and at the same time strengthen the fight against racism and xenophobia in European countries (amendment tabled by the Socialist Group).
In addition, Parliament calls on the EU to: - examine the possibility of debt re-conversion for its Mediterranean partners to finance projects relating to civil society, the environment, training and youth employment in local currency; - take the initiative of establishing a coordination mechanism of all potential aid donors (including the Gulf States) to launch a concerted programme aimed at encouraging investment in the region; - play a more active role in conflict and dispute settlement between the countries of the region (amendment tabled by Sakellariou, Napoletano and Nair) and "promote any political or diplomatic initiative aimed at resuming dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians".
Speaking to the MEP's Council President Pierre Moscovici declared that the current crisis in the Middle East renders dialogue "with our partners more necessary than ever"; the Euro-Mediterranean Conference "must not downwardly review its mission", even though it is obvious that, for example, the adoption of a Charter on Peace and Stability "probably calls for an appeased international environment". Like the other speakers, the French Minister for European Affairs recalled that the Barcelona Process was "quite young", it is five-years-old, and stressed the need not to lose sight of the "comprehensiveness" of the process; otherwise, we shall simply move towards a free-trade area "without political or human vision".
The crisis in the peace process in the Middle East should encourage us to redouble our efforts to succeed in Marseilles, exclaimed European Commissioner Chris Patten, hoping to secure some results, like, for example concerning: the acceleration of negotiations and ratification of certain association agreements (negotiations with Egypt have been over for some eighteen months now, he recalled); trade in agriculture; the setting up of a regional risk capital facility; migration; combating organised crime and judicial cooperation. Once again, Mr. Patten raised the problem of the effectiveness of EU action, saying to the deputies: I would like you to understand that, if we do our work seriously, you must provide us with the possibility of showing that we can be as good as we want to be, "there comes a time when you have to trust us to do our job".
"We Mitteleuropeans" are fully aware of the importance of the EU's Mediterranean dimension, stressed German Christian-Democrat Elmar Brok, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Some MEPs had just returned a few days before from meetings with representatives of civil society, in Marseilles, like the member of Democratici di Sinistra, Pasqualina Napoletano (who considered in particular that one of the limits of the Barcelona process was the concentration on trade liberalisation, to the detriment of dialogue in social matters, cultural, human resources) and Yasmine Boudjenah, French member of the United Left Group (who placed emphasis on the needs of the populations and the annulment of the debt).