Strasbourg, 11/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - Our "fundamental" idea is the "need to develop relations between the EU and Maghreb, and not only with each country individually", said Green member Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who presented, on Tuesday, the report that he had drafted with Philippe Morillon (EPP) on relations between the European Union and the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU). The report was approved by 446 votes in favour, 10 against and 54 abstentions, and the plenary rejected, as requested by the two co-rapporteurs, the amendments of the GUE/NGL group on the problems specific to each country (human rights in Algeria and Tunisia, question of Western Sahara). In his speech, Daniel Cohn-Bendit was highly critical of the European Commission which, speaking through Commissioner Liikanen, had just reported on the visit by the Troika to Algeria last week, which said political dialogue had been "rich, free and constructive", simply adding that the Commission called on the Council to give its approval to the EU/Algeria association agreement as soon as possible. It is "'incredible that the Troika should go to Algeria" after elections marked by such a low turn out, an Algeria "in economic, political and democratic crisis", and that it should say "everything's just fine, Ma'am", exclaimed the German Green member. Gerardo Galeote (EPP, Spain), who was speaking for Philippe Morillon during the latter's absence for the French electoral campaign, insisted on the creation of a joint EU/Maghreb parliamentary assembly, like the joint ACP/EU parliamentary assembly.
Speaking on behalf of the PES, Italian national Pasqualina Napoletano also supported strengthened multilateral relations, and called for the article on human rights contained in the agreement to become a real instrument for dialogue (this Article 2 is "a phantom article, on which there is never debate", complained Daniel Cohn-Bendit). Spanish national Pere Esteve, also expressed concern, on behalf of the ELDR Group, regarding the situation of human rights and electoral turn out that is "almost non-existent in Kabylia and very low elsewhere". Yasmine Boudjenah (GUE/NGL), from France, said she, too, was offended that the European Union "'had congratulated itself on the organisation of elections" in Algeria.
The report adopted by the Parliament stresses that the strengthening of relations between the various countries of the Maghreb is a fundamental element for the development of Euro-Mediterranean partnership as a whole, and, in this respect, welcomes the decision of the AMU Heads of State to meet on 21 and 22 June in Algiers. The EP calls for the creation of EU/Maghreb dialogue and reflection structures at regional scale within the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary forum, after the fashion of those that exist for the ACP countries. It also proposes to create regular working groups, mainly on the Western Sahara and on immigration. It insists on the annual assessment of association agreements and on the need to strengthen political dialogue, and calls for respect of the clauses on human rights, noting (amendment by the Liberal Group) that this clause "has not been implemented". The European Parliament also calls for cooperation to be increased against terrorism and calls for shared management of migratory flows.