Motion for a resolution - B7-0150/2009Motion for a resolution
B7-0150/2009
European Parliament

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Euro-Mediterranean economic and trade partnership ahead of the eighth Euromed Trade Ministerial Conference - Brussels - 9 December 2009

18.11.2009

further to Question for Oral Answer B7‑0222/2009
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure

Kader Arif, Emilio Menéndez del Valle, Gianluca Susta, María Muñiz De Urquiza on behalf of the S&D Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0147/2009

Procedure : 2009/2719(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B7-0150/2009
Texts tabled :
B7-0150/2009
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B7‑0150/2009

European Parliament resolution on the Euro-Mediterranean economic and trade partnership ahead of the eighth Euromed Trade Ministerial Conference - Brussels - 9 December 2009

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Barcelona Declaration of 28 November 1995, which established a partnership between the European Union and the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs),

–   having regard to the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament of 11 March 2003 entitled 'Wider Europe - Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours' (COM(2003)0104), its European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) strategy paper of 12 May 2004 (COM(2004)0373), its communication to the Council of 9 December 2004 on its proposals for action plans under the ENP (COM(2004)0795), the action plans for Israel, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Lebanon, and Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument[1],

–   having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Tunisia[2], Israel[3], Morocco[4], Jordan[5], Egypt[6], Lebanon[7] and Algeria[8], of the other part, and the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on Trade and Cooperation between the European Community and the PLO (for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority)[9]; having regard to Decision No 1/95 of the EC-Turkey Association Council of 22 December 1995 on implementing the final phase of the Customs Union (96/142/EC)[10],

–   having regard to the free-trade agreement, known as the Agadir Agreement, signed by Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco on 25 February 2004,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conferences and sectoral ministerial conferences that have taken place since the launch of the Barcelona Process, and particularly the conclusions of the seventh Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Trade Conference, held in Marseille on 2 July 2008,

–   having regard to the Paris Summit of Euro-Mediterranean Heads of State and Government on 13 July 2008 which created the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM),

–   having regard to the sustainability impact assessment of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area drawn up by Manchester University's Institute for Development Policy and Management,

–   having regard to the final declaration of the Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions held in Alexandria on 18 and 19 October 2009,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on EU Mediterranean policy and in particular its resolution of 15 March 2007 on the construction of the Euro-Mediterranean free-trade zone and its resolution of 19 February 2009 on the Barcelona process: Union for the Mediterranean,

–   having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the 1995 Barcelona Conference launched a very ambitious project, namely the creation of new and closer political, economic, social and cultural ties between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean; and whereas that project is still a long way from completion,

B.  whereas the process of creating the Union for the Mediterranean, supposed to revitalise the Euro-Mediterranean partnership through concrete and visible projects, is still not complete,

C. whereas the EU has signed association agreements with all its southern Mediterranean partners, with the exception of Syria and Libya; whereas the negotiations with Syria for an association agreement have been concluded but its signing was postponed by Syria, and whereas the Commission has opened negotiations with Libya,

D. whereas the two shores of the Mediterranean continue to present a strikingly asymmetrical picture in economic, social and demographic terms; whereas there are significant differences among the Mediterranean countries in terms of development; whereas more than 30% of the population in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs) lives on less than USD 2 a day,

E.  whereas the economies of the SEMCs are highly dependent on foreign trade; whereas around 50% of these trade flows are to the EU, though they account for only 8% of the EU’s external trade, with a positive balance for the EU; whereas the export structures of SEMCs are very poorly diversified and these countries remain specialised in sectors which bring little in the way of growth,

F.  whereas the EU is the major foreign investor in the region but foreign direct investments (FDIs) remain very low there by comparison with other regions in the world; whereas there are great differences, from one country to another, in capacity to attract FDIs,

G. whereas, South-South integration in the region is far from being achieved and South-South trade flows are underdeveloped, representing only 6% of the SEMCs' total trade,

H. whereas this situation could have very harmful effects on the Euro-Mediterranean integration process, and particularly on the creation of the free trade area, by exacerbating the impact of trade concentration and thus failing to benefit the SEMCs and their enterprises,

I.   whereas the SEMCs must remove the existing political and economic obstacles to the integration process throughout the region in order to achieve more fruitful collaboration among themselves,

J.   whereas the free trade area, if it is to have real positive effects, should boost the integration of the SEMCs into international trade and ensure their economic diversification, with fair sharing of the resultant benefits, in order to achieve the main objective of the Euro-Mediterranean economic and trade partnership, namely the reduction of the development gap between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean,

K. whereas the effects of the economic and financial crisis have aggravated the already existing political, economic and social challenges in the partner countries, particularly in relation to the problem of unemployment; whereas it is in the common interest of those countries and the EU to bring down unemployment rates in the region and to offer decent prospects to the populations concerned, particularly women, young people and the rural population,

1.  While acknowledging certain improvements, deplores the fact that the Euro-Mediterranean partnership’s main objectives are still far from being achieved; stresses that the success of this process, and of the free trade area in particular, requires a sustained and convergent effort from all parties and greater involvement of civil society and of the people on both shores of the Mediterranean, with a view to creating a 'single shore' of peace, development, justice, equality, freedom, plurality, democracy and respect;

2.  Considers that numerous difficulties, not only economic but also political, have considerably impeded the advancement of this process and of the free trade area in particular; and deplores the fact that these same political difficulties have resulted in the postponement of the Euromed foreign affairs ministers' meeting which was to have been held on 24 and 25 November in Istanbul and the UfM is not moving forward;

3.  Regards the current obstacles as an indication that the deepening of economic relations must progress hand-in-hand with a deepening of political relations; believes that genuine regional economic integration can be achieved only if concrete progress is made in settling the existing conflicts, especially that involving Israelis and Palestinians, and in the field of democracy and human rights;

4.  Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the SEMCs to take into account the effects of the financial, economic and environmental crisis by incorporating social and environmental concerns into the economic and trade partnership to a greater extent; calls on the governments of the SEMCs to implement consistent and effective employment and social-protection policies in order to mitigate the effects of the crisis;

5.  Points out, in this regard, that the objective of the free trade area should be measured not simply in terms of economic growth but also, and above all, in terms of job creation; further points out that youth and female unemployment is the most pressing social issue in the Mediterranean countries;

6.  Points out that the free trade area is meant to be based on a regional approach including a North-South network and a South-South network of free trade agreements; underlines the importance of regional integration of the SEMCs and of increasing South-South trade; regrets that the South-South cooperation is still underdeveloped; considers that economic recovery also requires increased support for regional integration and cooperation;

7.  Strongly encourages the SEMCs to develop South-South trade, as in the Agadir Agreement signed by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia; considers that agreement essential to regional integration and calls on the other countries to join it; stresses that the EU institutions must respond positively to requests for technical and financial support to promote this type of South-South economic integration;

8.  Calls on the Euro-Mediterranean trade ministers to endorse the regional convention on the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean system of rules of origin, which paves the way for simplification of rules of origin, and to take further steps towards implementing the Pan-Euromed system of cumulation of origin;

9.  Notes that the Euro-Mediterranean trade ministers are to discuss measures to address the current weakness of Euromed trade and economic relations, a new Euro-Mediterranean Trade Road Map and a new mechanism for facilitating trade and investment in the region; notes, too, that the Road Map includes provisions on agriculture, services, investment and regulatory issues, intellectual property rights and the fight against counterfeiting, competition and public procurement, rules of origin and trade defence instruments;

10. Stresses that these discussions must take place in a context of mutual trust and respect between partners in order to ensure the right of the SEMCs to control the speed with which they open up their trade and to control their national strategies for economic and social development; recalls that negotiations on the free trade area should be planned on a concerted, gradual basis in the context of a rational, predictable partnership reflecting the socioeconomic realities of the SEMCs;

11. Stresses that any further liberalisation in the field of agriculture and fisheries should take into account the need to protect sensitive goods while assessing systematically the social impact of liberalisation processes on rural populations; calls on the Euro-Mediterranean partners to consider the concept of an integrated Euro-Mediterranean agricultural policy founded on supply-chain complementarity and on a viable water policy and prioritising food-sovereignty needs over commercial considerations;

12. Regards the services sector as essential for the SEMCs' development; believes that any liberalisation of services should take place on a basis agreed with the SEMCs, whereby they would have the right to phase in and control the opening-up of sensitive and vulnerable sectors of their economies; considers that a distinction must be made between commercial services and public services; stresses that the latter – and especially services relating to people's basic needs such as health, education, water and energy – must be kept outside the negotiating framework;

13. Calls for the timetable for liberalisation of the industrial sector to be adjusted on the basis of the economic and social conditions in each country, including the level of unemployment and its impact on the environment; stresses that the economic and trade partnership should promote greater diversification in industrial goods production as well as higher added value; calls on the SEMCs to establish regional policies that take into account the role of very small, small and medium-sized enterprises;

14. Notes that Euro-Mediterranean textile producers face major difficulties in the context of growing global competition; considers it necessary to revitalise the North-South partnership in order to promote high-added-value activities, based on research and development and technological innovation, more effectively; considers, too, that North-South cooperation should remain at the core of a sectoral strategy for keeping Euro-Mediterranean textiles and clothing production and trade competitive;

15. Draws attention to Parliament's repeated calls for the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Development Bank capable of attracting the FDIs which the Euro-Mediterranean region lacks;

16. Recalls its concern about the findings of the sustainability impact assessment of the free trade area, drawn up by the University of Manchester, with regard to the expected negative social and environmental effects of a free trade area in the short and medium term; repeats its call to the Commission to incorporate the recommendations of that study into future negotiations on the free trade area in order to take account of social-cohesion and sustainable-development considerations as advocated in the assessment;

17. Stresses that the EU's trade policy must not run counter to the objectives of its policies on development and poverty reduction but should complement them; stresses the need for a specific action plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the region; notes also that it should be a priority of the economic and trade partnership to achieve social progress and decent working conditions, notably by laying down an agenda for decent work specifically designed for the SEMCs; stresses the need to promote codes of conduct negotiated with multinationals, which should incorporate objectives for the provision of decent employment;

18. Takes the view that the free trade area should be complemented by the phased introduction, subject to conditions, of free movement for workers, whilst taking account of the situation on the European employment market and current thinking in the international community on the links between migration and development; regards it as a matter of urgency to establish legal and administrative procedures to facilitate the granting of visas, in particular for the stakeholders in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, students, university staff and socioeconomic actors;

19. Asks the Commission to keep it fully informed about progress on the association agreement with Syria, the signing of which was recently postponed by Syria; is concerned by the opening of negotiations with Libya and asks the Commission to keep it fully informed about – and to consult it at all stages of – these negotiations;

20. Notes, too, that several Mediterranean countries have expressed interest in deepening and/or widening their trade agreements with the EU, and asks the Commission, in view of the new powers in relation to trade conferred on Parliament by the Lisbon Treaty, to take an earlier EP resolution into account when negotiating these new agreements;

21. Stresses that bilateral approaches should not be at the expense of a multilateral regional approach; believes that, while advocating closer cooperation with the most advanced partners, and with due regard for their specific political, cultural and social characteristics, the Commission must maintain the principle of region-to-region negotiations;

22. Notes the recent opinion of the Advocate-General of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in the 'Brita Case', which stated that preferential treatment under the EC-Israel Agreement cannot be applied to goods originating from the occupied territories and that entitlement to preferential tariffs under the EC-PLO Agreement may be granted to goods manufactured in the occupied territories only if the requisite certificates of origin are issued by the Palestinian authorities, and is awaiting with interest the Court's final judgment; stresses that this judgment could have serious consequences on the EC-Israel and EC-PLO Agreements;

23. Is concerned by the lack of a long-term strategic vision for the region's development and stabilisation; stresses that the process of Euro-Mediterranean integration must, once again, become a political priority for the EU;

24. Stresses the role of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) within the partnership, as the democratic body bringing together parliamentarians from both shores of the Mediterranean around the three pillars of the Barcelona Process; calls, finally, for stronger cooperation on economic affairs between the EMPA and the Commission and Council of the European Union;

25. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Heads of State and Government and the parliaments of the Member States and of the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.

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