Brussels, 15/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - Senior officials responsible for the Barcelona process began their work for 2008 on Tuesday morning in Brussels with a detailed presentation of the work programme for the first half of the year under Slovenian EU Council Presidency. The presidency does not have a specific agenda of ambitions other than that it wishes to inaugurate a year under the sign of dialogue and cultural exchange and calls for the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean university in Piran, on Slovenian territory. It will mainly seek to ensure “smooth transition” and cooperation with the incoming French presidency and the “trio” of presidencies formed of France, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
The presidency-in-office has presented its programme to the Barcelona process member countries. It undertakes to pursue the efforts begun, mainly for carrying out the five-year programme and fine-tuning the code of conduct for combating terrorism adopted in 2005 in Barcelona. It is also committed to supporting implementation of the work programme for 2008 adopted after the last ministerial session in November 2007, in Lisbon. In this spirit, in favour of strengthening the Barcelona process described as the “unique framework” for strengthening dialogue and cooperation on both sides of the Mediterranean, Slovenia is not closing the door on other developments which have the same aim in mind, that of enriching the EuroMed process. The general gist of its approach is in favour of consistency and synergy in all fields and, to achieve this, it recommends “transparency”. Its programme gives detailed reference to all chapters and projects undertaken in the context of the Barcelona process and regularly submitted for discussion between senior officials and between ministers almost every month, once a year between foreign ministers and in an ad hoc manner between specific ministers (economy and finance, industry, environment, energy, immigration, etc.). Slovenia announces its intention to help organise a first meeting of culture ministers on the theme of the year: intercultural dialogue. The meeting of senior officials will be followed on Wednesday by a session of the board of governors of the Anna Lindh Foundation on the dialogue among civilisations. (F.B.)