Rhodes, 25/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - Euro-Mediterranean industry ministers, meeting in Rhodes on 21 and 22 September, welcomed the progress made in their dialogue, begun in Brussels in 1996 and reaffirmed their aim of creating a free trade area by 2010. Their confidence was born of the knowledge that their dialogue, which continued in Klagenfurt in 1998, Limassol in 2000, Malaga in 2002 and Caserta in 2004, is becoming stronger as witnessed by the extent of the progress on the implementation of the “Charter for Enterprise” adopted at Caserta to provide a framework for drawing up industrial policies and establishing effective cooperation in the Mediterranean region. Ministers noted with satisfaction that all the member countries of the EuroMed process had begun the implementation of the Charter by creating a network of national coordinators and establishing a structured dialogue and had submitted reports taking stock of the process. This, the ministers emphasised, would allow national strategies to take better account of the needs of companies and of the implementation of reforms. Collectively, they acknowledged the merits of the neighbourhood policy. There existed, they said, a “reservoir of good practice” in the Mediterranean that should be given greater prominence.
Ministers also reaffirmed their desire improve the economic climate to increase investor interest for the region, promote innovation and facilitate trade in industrial goods, thanks in particular to legislative and normative alignment and the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, especially in the priority sectors set out in Palermo in July 2003. (Particular mention was made of the textile/clothing sector.)
A new meeting was set for 2008, to assess progress in the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprises and other initiatives. In their conclusions, ministers also agreed to direct bilateral funding towards the implementation of the Charter for Enterprise according to the priorities of each of the countries.
The Finnish industry minister will, at the Competitiveness Council (see related article) in Brussels on 25 September, brief his European colleagues on the outcome of this session, attended also by Commissioner Gunter Verheugen. In Rhodes, Mr Verheugen said that the Neighbourhood Policy was a “key policy for the EU” because it tried to manage change proactively. His speech was centred on the virtues of this approach, of which he had been one of the main initiators in the Prodi Commission. Investment remained a priority aim for the region, he stressed. “Textile remains an important area for joint cooperation. In the last two years, some of you have realised, as we ourselves have, that it is not enough to compete on costs alone. The only way to maintain our textile and clothing production, in the EU and the Euro-Mediterranean region, is by concentrating on those activities which create an added value. It is therefore important to intensify work on innovation,” he said, adding, “I am therefore happy to announce today that the EU, at the request of many of you, is prepared to reinforce cooperation by opening our internal EU programme on Competitiveness and Innovation”.