François Alfonsi (Verts/ALE). – (FR) Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, as a Corsican MEP I very much welcome your Presidency, which will have both an island and a Mediterranean dimension.

At this time of crisis, it is important that the expectations of that crucial area for Europe’s future be heard. The crisis has hit the European side of the Mediterranean hard and all of us, in Cyprus, in Greece, in Italy, in Spain and in southern France, are linked by a community of destiny. We are also linked by a duty: to meet the expectations of all of the citizens of the countries surrounding the European Union who in spring 2011 expressed their hope for a better life and their desire for genuine democracy and fruitful relations with Europe through ties that, for as long as we can remember, have bound together all of the people of the Mediterranean.

Yesterday the European Parliament adopted by a majority of more than 90% a report that I presented, recommending the establishment of macro-regional strategies in the Mediterranean. This new form of European territorial cooperation has been proven in the Baltic region to improve the effectiveness of the EU’s various development policies. It is therefore important to provide a structure for it in the Mediterranean, too, from the start of the new 2014-2020 programming, so that it can be effective and operational.

It is time to send the suffering Mediterranean region a positive sign and to take responsibility for its future with pro-active initiatives. Along with more than 50 other MEPs who voted for the report yesterday, I hope that Cyprus takes advantage of its six-month Presidency to consolidate the first initiatives to establish the future macro-regional strategies in the Mediterranean.