The conclusion of yesterday's column was not intended simply to be comforting. The statement that progress was being made, and would continue to be made, in cooperation between the EU and Mediterranean third countries, through projects that might appear modest at first sight, but which have concrete objectives, beyond the rhetoric and formal ceremonies is, indeed, based in fact. There are examples, and there will be many more if the appropriate conditions are met. The first of these is not to require every country to be involved in projects. Just because they were invited, with, in addition, their regional organisations, to the summit on 13 July does not mean that Mediterranean third countries form a coherent group. Experience has shown that what works best in the Barcelona process almost always involves a limited number of countries. The deepening of these countries' relations with the EU is, in most cases, bilateral and progress in cooperation among themselves affects a limited number of countries.
The Agadir Agreement, an example and a model. The first example that comes to mind is the Agadir Agreement. Four Arabic countries - Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia - decided to pursue two key points in cooperation that could one day result in the creation of a unified Euro-Mediterranean economic area: free trade and encouragement of investment.
No matter the rhetoric of some in the European Parliament, there cannot, by definition, be a free trade area covering the whole area if some Mediterranean third countries maintain barriers between one another, and investment cannot flow if markets are not open. Which Western company could make a major investment in a market of only one country? Through the Agadir Agreement, investment in one of the four participating countries enjoys a market of 120 million consumers, in addition to the European market. Through the support of the EU and the political will of the “four”, the free trade zone has become a reality between these countries, complemented by the “cumulation of origin” (the advantages of which are known to investors and experts). The positive results already achieved justified the holding of the first Investment Forum, organised by the four member states, with the support of the European Commission, on 8 April (see our newsletter N° 9639). The event provided traders and investors of the opportunities open to them.
Things were not easy at the start. The initiative was so innovative that delays and moments of discouragement abounded. However, the support of the European Commission, through the Barcelona process, was never found wanting. Speaking at the Forum, Commission External Relations Director General Eneko Landaburu noted that the “Commission backed the agreement in times of doubt and, indeed, programmed a second phase for the support programme before the first phase had even begun”. The EU currently funds technical assistance and training, and also raising awareness of the agreement among companies so that economic operators are aware of the opportunities for trade and investment, since the agreement “offers significant opportunities for industrial cooperation and outsourcing for exports to Europe and elsewhere”. Currently, the aim is to deepen the agreement and extend it to other countries, because it provides “a solid point of reference in the south-south integration process”.
Other examples. Another recent example of “cooperation in progress” is the presentation, by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) of 44 projects for cleaning up the Mediterranean, with funding of €2.1 billion, a sum which could be increased (see our newsletter N° 9641). As soon as the announcement was made, sensationalist stories came out from large press agencies, speaking about a Commission initiative to mark its territory and pull the rug from under the feet of France, which had made this issue central to its Mediterranean Union project. It is clear that the detailed projects announced on 11 April could not have been improvised in a few weeks: they came after long, in-depth studies (a timetable was set in November 2006). Similar remarks can be made on the projects in agriculture and fisheries cooperation among 13 Mediterranean rim countries (see our newsletter N° 99596) and in tourism where cooperation opportunities are virtually limitless (see our newsletter N° 9637).
One has to wonder if some Parisian leaders had heard of what was happening under the Barcelona process, or of the real obstacles that prevent further progress. (F.R.)