Athens, 24/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Economic and social councils (ESCs) and similar bodies in the EU and around the Mediterranean are calling for greater involvement by women and civil society in the Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Governments are being urged to ensure structures for participation are shored up and also to strike a balance among competitiveness and social cohesion. The EuroMed summit was held in Athens on 15-16 October, with the opening address delivered by the Greek president, Karolos Papoulias, and the closing address by the Greek foreign minister, Dora Bakoyannis.
In their final statement, the councils explain that the various policies and initiatives to be developed as part of the EuroMed cooperation process had to be focussed on mutual and coherent reinforcement of competitiveness and social cohesion. They highlight the importance of promoting company social liability in line with identical criteria on either side of the Mediterranean. They say this will require systematic involvement by ESCs and similar bodies, and EuroMed civil society networks (trade unions and employers - the 'social partners'- , the social economy and farmers). The ESCs pledge to develop activities integrating all other socio-professional networks, particularly social partner networks. Special initiatives will be undertaken in 2008 to promote the social dimension of the EuroMed dialogue in connection with the two future presidencies of the EU (Slovenia and France). The ESCs want implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy to fully involve the regional and local dimensions and move towards sustainable development. To this end, they call for resources allocated to social action to be extended and for procedures to be simplified. The establishment of a EuroMed Investment and Development Bank is recommended. The ESCs expressed delight at the deepening of relations with the EuroMed Parliamentary Assembly. The next annual meeting will be held in Morocco.
There was intense debate at the summit, fed by speeches that tended to focus on the need to turn challenges into opportunities, as the Greek foreign minister put it. Representatives of the world of business, trade unionists, members of civil society and academics made a detailed diagnosis characterised by concern for prudence to ensure false hopes were not raised, and to ensure respect of principle of parity. Dialogue has to be managed and take on both the old challenges and the new challenges connected with misunderstandings which may arise, like with the Danish caricatures. The need for greater transparency in the process was expressed repeatedly. The president of the Mediterranean Union of Business Confederations, Jean-Jacques Sarraf, called for closer relations to intensify. He said one market was not enough these days and growth was only to be found by opening markets up, but on condition that opening to the North was backed by prior opening of markets between countries in the South. He said the development of technology made it difficult these days to have balanced trade with the North. The export of raw materials or unqualified labour in return for the import of sophisticated products and services might give countries in the South some income, but it did not allow improvements in their productivity, in other words, in their standards of living. Trade union representative, Mohamed Travelsi, speaking on behalf of Arab trade unions, said the ENP was charging full-speed ahead to get round the fact that the partnership had failed. He said that the multiplication of initiatives (ENP and the Mediterranean Union) demonstrated the problems with the EuroMed process, and he urged an objective, self-critical analysis to detect the causes and origins of the failure. He said this work should be carried out with real involvement from the social partners. Trabelsi said the social partners had been totally ignored in the signing of the current agreements. (F.B.)