Brussels, 05/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption by a very large majority (562 votes to 50 and 30 abstentions) of a common resolution from the groups EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and UEN, the European Parliament welcomes the European Commission's communication of 20 May on the Barcelona Process: a Union for the Mediterranean, and states it shares the aims set out in the text. The summit of 13 July is to launch the Union for the Mediterranean.
The first amendment on the conflict in the Middle East (presented then withdrawn by the GUE/NGL group but represented on behalf of the Greens/EFA) was rejected (by 315 votes to 315 - equality equals negative vote), while the second (by the Greens/EFA Group), which referred to the Western Sahara, was adopted (541 votes to 74 and 23 abstentions). Michael Gahler managed to have two oral amendments adopted: one on the co-presidency, which stresses the need to comply with the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty in the procedure for designating the European co-president, and the other indicating that the secretariat of the future UfM must in time be integrated into Commission services.
The EP is pleased with the account taken of the parliamentary dimension in developments of Euro-Mediterranean dialogue. The debate, which was not attended in person by Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the Parliament and also President of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), began with a short speech by Commissioner Benita-Ferrero Waldner (external relations). Ms Waldner welcomed the consensual stance of the EP, which unreservedly supports the Commission's stance. She explained what the stakes and the context were, including not only the results of the Barcelona process but also the role of European neighbourhood policy and action plans. She called for current policies to be used to advantage and stressed the importance of ensuring there was a parliamentary dimension. The commissioner also pointed out that the strengthening of Euro-Mediterranean relations would not be to the detriment of links with eastern European countries, and said there will be a forceful reminder of this during the first anniversary of the Black Sea strategy.
Speaking on behalf of the political groups, Vito Bonsignore (EPP-ED, Italy) said President Sarkozy's initiative is “along the right lines” but stressed the need to take the regional context into account and to ensure that the various conflicts are resolved (Middle East, Sahara, Cyprus, etc) and that South-South relations are strengthened. Martin Schultz (PES, Germany) criticised the fact that the committee had only spoken in French and had created the impression that this had been a “Sarkozyday” or a “Franco-French” day. Thanks to Germany and reactions from other member states, “we are on the right track”, he said, thus giving his group's support to the Commission's views, particularly the recommendation for heightening regional cooperation and concrete progress. Graham Watson (ALDE, United Kingdom) said that the time had come to set up a genuine partnership because the Barcelona process had remained a “dead letter”. Relaunch must be based on a “relationship of trust” and not by creating illusions through grandiose ideas without accompanying them with the appropriate resources. He said this was exactly where the French president's mistake could be located. Watson called on the Commission and EU to share responsibility for this dialogue with partner countries, as well as some of the decision-making, and explained that nothing could be achieved without reciprocal concessions. Hélène Flautre (Greens/EFA, France) underlined the fact that anchoring the UfM in institutional Community structures would allow for hesitations regarding the process to be avoided. She asserted her group's opposition to any cooperation in the nuclear arena and supported a strengthening in the “human rights” dimension. Konrad Szymanski (UEN, Poland) underlined the imperative of avoiding anything that could upset the balance in South-East relations. Francis Wurtz (GUE/NGL) warned against the “obsession with free trade” and the continuation of degrading treatment of immigrants. He stressed that there was a need for EU action for peace in the region. Jean-Claude Martinez (NA) criticised what he described as a “narrow” vision of the Mediterranean. Rodi Kratsa-Tsagarapoulou (EPP-ED, Greece) said that other actors should be taken into account (US, Russia and China). Pasqualina Napoletano from Italy and Carlos Carnero from Spain, both from the PES, underlined the need to preserve the acquis in the Barcelona process and foster political dialogue. Tokia Saïfi (EPP-ED, France) said they should not water down the contents of the UfM project by way of an institutional mechanism whose weight leads to inertia. Kader Arif (PES; France) welcomed the fact that the project is no longer “Franco-French” and asked for it to remain “Euro-European”. The commissioner suggested that the 2010 deadline for setting up a free trade zone is only a theoretical date because it depended on the effective implementation of various association agreements. In connection with the UfM secretariat, she did not rule out the emergence of a “legally autonomous” structure and denied the claim made by Marie-Anne Isler Bégin that the Commission and the IAEA are engaged in a programme promoting nuclear power in the Mediterranean. She said that this only involved a nuclear safety agreement. (F.B)