Brussels, 15/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 14 May, the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament called for genuine relaunch of cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean. The group highlighted four requirements: - an end to viewing common problems, such as migration, from the point of view of security; - abandonment of short-sighted stabilisation strategies in favour of clear and strong commitment to democracy and human rights (in short, no longer using the need for stability as a pretext for saying nothing about persistent violations along the entire southern rim); - the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean area integrated into the world economy; - deeper reflection on future joint bodies that have to be set up for there to be increased dialogue between equal partners.
This approach derives from a double acknowledgement: the Barcelona process “is not dead”, but what it has achieved is “insufficient” and its “full potential still has to be realised”, said group Deputy Leader Pasqualina Napolitano (Italy) and EuroMed parliamentary cooperation coordinator Carlos Carnero (Spain) as they presented the statement on the “future of Euro-Mediterranean relations”. The document was adopted in April after, it is believed, lively discussion during which somewhat differing approaches were expressed, both within national groups and within the French Socialist group itself, by those who are firmly opposed to the project by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and those who see in it an opportunity for real relaunch of the process.
The PES Group position sits halfway between that of the European Commission (which believes the results of the Barcelona process are almost perfect) and that, particularly of the French president and his team, which talks of failure. The group, which seems to be expressing reservations on what it sees as the unclear objectives of the European neighbourhood policy (which appear to be at odds with the multilateral approach of the EuroMed process) is less critical of this latter, although it questions several points. Carnero said he was not expecting “13 July fireworks”: 13 July is the date of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) “summit”. The PES is delighted, at any rate, to see, “the Mediterranean return to the heart of political debate”. The opinion is that cooperation will help what has been achieved since 1995, even if “the continuing gap between rhetoric and reality … means there needs to be greater lucidity of reflection and greater ambition of action”. The Socialists plan to hold a meeting with their southern rim counterparts in Naples on 11 June to discuss how to take forward enhanced, credible Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
In its statement, the PES sets out a wide range of general proposals on conditions for relaunching the process, conflict settlement, economic, social and financial policies, agriculture, energy and sustainable development, social cohesion, education and research, immigration, democratisation, women's rights, civil society, local authorities and intercultural dialogue. With regard to relations between the two shores, Napolitano's clear position was that the EU should talk with both Hamas and Hezbollah. She only excluded dialogue with supporters of terrorism. (F.B.)