Brussels, 21/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, Philippe Morillon (French, EPP) and Daniel Cohn-Bendit (German Green) presented the European Parliament's Foreign affairs Committee with the major outlines of their draft report on the implementation of the privileged partnership between the EU and the Union of the Arab Maghreb (UAM - Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania and Libya). Messrs. Morillon and Cohn-Bendit's draft resolution proposes that the EU/Maghreb relationship should develop in future "in a specific innovative framework that could take the shape of a contract for stability and development, like the existing relationship between the EU and the Balkans though the Stability Pact".
Such a privileged partnership must, notably, tackle the problem of migrants "fleeing poverty" at home to find themselves "in even greater poverty" in Europe, where they are uprooted, says Morillon, stressing the importance of attracting foreign investments into the region, especially to "fixate the labour force". This partnership is all the more necessary following the events of 11 September, he noted, recalling the difficult path travelled by the UAM: first "manifestations of a will for union" in 1989; meetings between the European Parliament and the five parliaments of the region, in 1989, 1990 and 1991 (at the time when Claude Cheysson was MEP); cancellation of the meeting scheduled for 1992 after the "Lockerbie incident and Libya's being singled out by nations"; resumption of the political dialogue within the UAM with the meeting of foreign ministers on 15 January last in Algiers and the announcement of a summit in June, also in Algiers. Among the obstacles to this re-launch, Mr. Morillon cites the Western Sahara, while stipulating that "the interlocutors tell us its an obstacle, but not a major one". Before deciding on the passages of their report concerning this dispute, Messrs. Morillon and Cohn-Bendit want to wait for the conclusions of the mission to Western Sahara by their colleagues Catherine Lalumiere, Pasqualina Napoletano and Raimon Obiols, as well as the latest UN draft framework agreement.
After 11 September, one has not to confuse the fight against terrorism and "repressive policies against the freedom of mounting a national opposition", Cohn-Bendit insisted, for his part, admitting that "the situation in Tunisia is not reassuring", like that in Kabylia, in Algeria. As for the problem of immigration and visas, he considered that, currently, Europe's policy "is post-colonial behaviour, not a dialogue between partners" (the draft resolution calls on the EU and Member States to "reconsider their immigration policies and free movement with Maghreb countries, as the opening up of markets cannot be achieved without the opening up of borders to citizens, respecting the necessary balance between the protection of refugees, the legitimate desire for a better life and the Union and its Member States' ability to take in immigrants"). Among the main suggestions made in the draft report, Cohn-Bendit cited: - emphasis placed on "food sovereignty", to ensure the "perennial nature of farming and fishing" in the countries concerned; - the creation of a new structure for relations between the European Parliament and the UAM. "Two ideas that are not rivals are currently circulating on the market of ideas", Mr. Cohn-Bendit observed, citing that of Jose Ignacio Salafranca (Partido Popular) of establishing "a link in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum", and "ours, that goes rather along the lines of an EP/UAM Joint Parliamentary Commission, like the ACP, if you like".
During the brief exchange of views that followed, the representative of the European Commission considered that these ideas were broadly along the lines of the Commission's recent communication on the Euro-Mediterranean Process (see EUROPE of 18/19 February, p.13). As for Raimon Obiols (Spanish Socialist), he said that "we are speaking here of what will be one of the Union's major strategic priorities in the years to come", and suggested they leave aside the "hypocrisy" that consists in "speaking of a free-trade area" with the countries concerned without tackling the problem of the "Mediterranean agricultural policy", whereas Austrian Social-Democrat Hannes Swoboda backed the idea of a Euro-Mediterranean bank linked to the EIB, instead of being an institution apart. Recalling the difficulties that the EBRD had run up against (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Luxembourg Christian-Democrat Jacques Santer said he totally agreed, and, moreover, stressed what religious communities could provide to the EU-UAM dialogue (according to him, the "spirit of Tolede" needs rekindling that manifested itself after the meetings of all religious communities in Tolede in 1994 and 1995). Finally, Belgian Green, Nelly Maes placed emphasis on the cultural dimension, exclaiming: "we must encourage sustainable and quality tourism in these countries, we must encourage Europeans to visit these countries to find "a cultural heritage and not only bask in the sun".