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Thursday, 5 June 2008 - Brussels OJ edition

The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean (debate)
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  Hélène Flautre, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – (FR) Madam President, the European Commission has put forward a good proposal. It has transformed a relatively clumsy political initiative – the ‘Union for the Mediterranean’ – into a renewed political ambition for a strengthened Barcelona Process. That is an excellent thing and, in this context, the Commission is performing its role to the letter.

We support its proposals, particularly as regards incorporating the institutions of the future project in relation to the Lisbon Treaty and its goal of a more coherent and better integrated external policy for the Union. In so doing, it is putting an end to the justified fears of ad hoc political manoeuvring dictated by the agreements reached at the summit or on an à la carte or circumstantial basis, fears fuelled largely by the misplaced initiatives of President Sarkozy to promote, for example, the proliferation of nuclear power in the region.

The mediocre results in terms of democracy and human rights were unanimously identified in 2005 as an obstacle to the Barcelona objectives. That is why the European Parliament insists that all the mechanisms aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law as well as the parliamentary dimension of the process and the participation of civil society must be duly guaranteed within the framework of this new ambition for the Euro-Mediterranean region.

An amendment has been tabled on the conflict in the Middle East. Ladies and gentlemen, I think that the European Parliament would be well-advised to accept it. It is right to ensure that new initiatives in the region are not dependent on resolution of the conflict, but we would also be fooling ourselves if we ignored its negative impact on the concrete capacities to develop Mediterranean projects that are relevant to the citizens.

Moreover, the ad hoc delegation that recently visited Palestine documented serious violations of humanitarian law and human rights, clear violations of the Oslo and Annapolis commitments. It would be futile to suggest that the persistence of this situation does not undermine profoundly the mutual trust between the partners and the civil societies in the region, trust that is nonetheless vital to the success of our Euro-Mediterranean ambitions.

 
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