Rabat, 22/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - The EuroMed Parliamentary Assembly (EUPA) ended its special meeting in Rabat (Morocco) on 21 November by adopting a final statement to be submitted by Josep Borrell, President of the European Parliament and chair of EUPA, to the Barcelona EuroMed Summit on 28 November. In the statement, MEPs and MPs from EU Member States and partner countries proclaim their firm commitment to helping pursue the Barcelona Process objectives, stressing that EuroMed parliamentary dialogue is a powerful instrument in the process that can provide value-added to standard government or multilateral diplomacy. The main task for the next deicide, in the EUPA's view, is to reduce the dangerous frustration (uncontrolled immigration, misunderstandings, terrorism, etc) caused by development gaps in a region described by Josep Borrell as one where there is the most inequality in the world. The statement explains that the citizens of the region are concerned that the right to peace, democracy, security, economic prosperity and social progress is out of the reach of many of those same citizens and over the past ten years, the social and economic gap has widened even larger. Speedy action must be taken to ensure this gap does not become permanent. To tackle this, the EUPA is planning to pressurise member states to ensure they act to boost economic and social prosperity and, more importantly, to make bolder reform moves in all domains. It also wants to see more active conflict resolution for the region, a coordinated battle against extremism and terrorism and a pledge to respect non-proliferation treaties and international courts. The statement wants a culture of tolerance to be promoted, mobilising all stakeholders to combat racism and xenophobia, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and, based on the common cultural heritage and respect for diversity, to end in a genuine alliance of civilisations.
Opening the meeting, the President of the Moroccan Parliament, Abdelwahed Rahi, highlighted that priority must go to dealing with illegal immigration, respecting the rights of legal immigrants, and providing adequate resources for projects launched as part of the Barcelona Process. The reforms demanded by Europe, but which some Mediterranean partner countries have already embarked upon, will depend on constant support and economic levers, said Radi, who also talked about the neighbourhood policy (the Commission is often asked to clarify the neighbourhood policy with regard to the Barcelona Process). The new policy must have tangible content and be integrated into the Barcelona Process, said Radi. Josep Borrell drew up a mixed balance sheet of the Barcelona Process, pointing out progress but also the numerous obstacles holding it back which still need to be resolved, like the conflict in the Middle East first and foremost, and the growing development gap (although there have been big transfers of public EU funds), and slow reforms in partner countries (without wanting to teach anyone any lessons, the right and effective conditions have to be put in place for a prosperous Mediterranean both in terms of economics and in terms of politics, he said). On immigration, Borrell said the European dream was in trouble within the EU but is still in the heads of millions of people who want to immigrate. If you do not go to the South, the South will come to you, in an illegal or clandestine manner, he said. The debate demonstrated the need for a European immigration policy, claimed Borrell, adding that national policies to integrate immigrants were an integral part of the debate on the European social model. He said that to revitalise the Barcelona Process, greater attention had to be paid to the democratic functioning of society and human rights, solving conflicts, the framework for investment, education (particularly of women and girls) and job creation (particularly for young people).
Speaking on behalf of the European Commission, Viviane Reding tried to reassure participants that the Barcelona Process would not be diluted in the EU's Neighbourhood Policy. She highlighted the importance of communication technology as a development vector. She generally focussed on the need to make more resolute progress in economic and social reforms, adding that the Commission was prepared to help. This was echoed by a representative of the British Presidency who said that reform was the only key to revitalising the Barcelona Process (the British parliament was the only one not to attend the EUPA, Ed.).
The same issues came up in the debate (during which the desire was expressed for Balkan countries to be associated with the process). The President of the European Parliament's EPP-ED group, Hans-Gert Pottering, said the Barcelona Process had the particular advantage of forming the first bridges between communities on either side of the Mediterranean - the London and Madrid bombings showed that a strong approach is needed, he added, calling for counter-terrorism not to jeopardise freedom (he condemned Guantanamo in this spirit). Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL, Italy) welcomed the EUPA's historic vote against the death penalty and the call to join the International Criminal Tribunal. Calling for an alliance of civilisations, she slammed Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, which didn't help show the real face of Western civilisation. Carlos Carneiro (PES, Spain) said immigration had to be dealt with urgently and upon his request, it was agreed that a meeting would soon be organised to discuss it (no date or place were fixed). Helene Flautre (Greens/EFA, France), President of the European Parliament's Human Rights Subcommittee, said that one of the weaknesses of the Barcelona Process was the fact it did not pay enough attention to human rights, which she described as the precondition for development. To give a structure to this free dialogue between parliamentarians, Pasqualina Napoletano (PES, Italy) hoped the EUPA would not operate on the basis of nationality but on the basis of political leanings. Accepting the idea, Josep Borrell said it was too early to talk about this yet, observing that it had taken the European Parliament a long time to move in this direction itself, and he was not 100% sure it had even got there yet.
During the final press conference, Borrell mentioned the fact the Israeli delegation was planning to withdraw from EUPA because of disagreement with the political conclusions of the special Rabat meetings. Borrell said Israel was not isolated and the EUPA had simply followed the procedures. He said that like any other country, Israel may believe it has been sidelined, but it is still a member of EUPA. He hoped Israel would not withdraw in the end because that would be bad for the EUPA and bad for Israel. Few participants seemed to take the threat of Israeli withdrawal seriously.