Ioannis Varvitsiotis (PPE-DE). – (EL) Mr President, let me congratulate the rapporteurs on their thorough examination of the topic. However, I must point out that if one of our basic aims is to create an area of peace, we must pay attention to the political future of the countries in question.

Let me cite Egypt as an example. Do any of us know what will happen in the post-Mubarak era? I fear not. Do we not realise that sooner or later Egypt will be taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood, a large Islamic extremist organisation? We must therefore understand that all our planning in the area will be undermined by such a situation.

I do not want to repeat here, yet again, the proposal I made last year in the previous debate on the report. I suggested the creation of a commonwealth among these countries in order to strengthen relations in the political neighbourhood.

Allow me to end by pointing out that the European political neighbourhood was promoted in tandem with the accession of the Ten, with the aim of mitigating the formation of new lines of division with neighbouring countries. For this reason, the European political neighbourhood must remain unified, geographically cohesive and balanced between its eastern and southern parts.

In addition, since the countries making up the European political neighbourhood display political, economic and even cultural differences, the principle of diversity is as ever crucially important, but it must not be used to widen the gaps between these countries.