6.3.6.     Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries: Maghreb and Mashreq

LEGAL BASIS

• Title V of the EU Treaty.
• Articles 133 and 310 (113 and 238) of the EC Treaty.

OBJECTIVES

In accordance with the guidelines laid down by the European Councils of Lisbon in June 1992, Corfu in June 1994 and Essen in December 1994, the European Union decided to outline a framework for relations with the countries of the Mediterranean, with a view to drawing up a partnership plan. In this way it intends to develop cooperation with its southern neighbours to balance its policy of greater openness towards the central and eastern European countries.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1.   General policy framework: the Barcelona Conference

a. On 27 and 28 November 1995 the Barcelona Conference brought together the foreign ministers of the European Union Member States and the countries of Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Mauritania (as a member of the Arab Maghreb Union or AMU), Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority. It also invited the League of Arab States and the AMU to attend.

b. The conference adopted two documents, a declaration and a work programme, arranging cooperation in three areas.

- Political and security partnership

To establish a 'common area of peace and stability' the partners agreed to 'conduct a strengthened political dialogue at regular intervals', acting in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This will include:

• cooperation against terrorism,
• fighting organised crime, and
• promoting nuclear non-proliferation.

- Economic and financial partnership

The aim is to create an area of shared prosperity by:

• phasing in a free-trade area,
• implementing economic cooperation and concerted action,
• substantially increasing the European Union’s financial assistance, in the shape of Community budget funds, EIB loans and financial contributions from the individual Member States, totalling ECU 4 685 million for the period 1995-1999.

- Partnership in social, cultural and human affairs, including instruments to encourage exchanges between politicians, universities, the media, trade unions and businesses.

c. The work programme contains a list of priority actions in the three areas, including establishment of a free-trade area, implementing the 1992 Mediterranean Water Charter, energy planning, reducing food dependence, and environmental measures.

d.     Bodies
A Barcelona process Euro-Mediterranean Committee comprising senior civil servants from the European Union troika and each of the Mediterranean countries holds meetings to prepare for meetings of foreign ministers.

2.   Developments at international level

a.   General developments
Ministerial meetings in Malta on 15 and 16 April 1997 and Palermo on 3 and 4 June 1998 confirmed the objectives of the Barcelona Conference and began an assessment of results. They concluded that the Barcelona process should complement the Middle East peace process, consideration of which dominated the Malta meeting. The Palermo meeting highlighted the global nature of the partnership: establishing a free-trade area will require political confidence throughout the region.

b.   Specific developments
- Political and security partnership:

• adoption of a natural disaster management plan,
• discussion on implementing the charter for peace and stability: following EU measures to deal with Islamic terrorists, the Arab states expressed their willingness to discuss cooperation on security.

- Economic and financial partnership:

• release of funds (MEDA Programme),
• action to prepare the Mediterranean countries for establishing the free- trade area (by 2010).

- Partnership in social and cultural affairs: relaunch of decentralised cooperation programmes, MEDIA MED, Campus MED and URBS MED.

3.   Development of relations with the countries concerned

This is mainly taking the form of Euro-Mediterranean association agreements, comprising:

• the phasing in of free trade, and
• assistance for economic transition, improving competitiveness, administrative reforms and scientific cooperation.

The EU has concluded agreements of this kind with Tunisia, Morocco, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. It is negotiating on others with Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Algeria.

1.   Maghreb

Parliament has mainly been concerned to express its concern for the plight of democracy and human rights in the Maghreb countries.

• Parliament’s resolution of 19 January 1995 condemned the terrorist attacks and encouraged any attempt to find a democratic political solution. The worsening situation, with proliferating large-scale atrocities, prompted Parliament to call for dialogue between the forces of democracy, respect for the rule of law and further political normalisation by means of elections.
• Three events are worth noting:
  • in November 1997 members of Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights met the Algerian foreign minister and talked to a number of Algerians and human rights organisations,
  • in December 1997 Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize to Salima Ghezali, an Algerian journalist well-known for her action to promote press freedom,
  • in February 1998 a Parliament delegation visited Algiers to meet Algerian MPs and other leading politicians in the government and opposition parties.

b.   Morocco
On 16 March 1995 Parliament called on the Moroccan Government to honour its commitments for implementing the Western Sahara peace plan.

c.   Tunisia
On 14 December 1995 Parliament gave its assent to the new association agreement with Tunisia.

2.   Mashreq

Parliament commented on the peace process a number of times in 1994 and 1995, welcoming every positive political development in the region, restating its attachment to democracy and its rejection of terrorism and underlining the importance of the EU’s political and economic role.

A resolution of 16 February 1995 called on the Palestinian Authority to step up the fight against terrorism and urged Israel to refrain from taking political and economic measures with an adverse effect on the peace process. A later resolution, on 19 May 1995, stressed the need to implement the Declaration of Principles signed by Israel and the PLO in 1993 and hold elections in the Palestinian territories as soon as possible.

On 15 December 1995 Parliament forwarded a recommendation to the Council under Article 17 (J.7) of the EU Treaty on the election of the Council and President of the Palestinian Authority, proposing that it should boost its mediation efforts with all the countries in the region in order to move the peace process forward, strengthen the EU’s commitment to the process and prepare the legal, economic and commercial instruments for furthering the development of the Palestinian territories.

While the United States increased its diplomatic effort in 1997 the EU pursued its mediating role in the peace process, including a proposal for a code of conduct between the parties concerned. Parliament encouraged these efforts through its resolutions, its interparliamentary delegations (which maintained close relations with the countries of the region) and its special delegations set up for particular political events, such as the first Palestinian elections in January 1996.

01/12/2000