The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the preparation of the Tampere Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Affairs Ministers Conference (COM(2006)0620),

–   having regard to the conclusions of the eighth Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (the eighth Euromed conference), held in Tampere on 27-28 November 2006,

–   having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) (COM(2006)0726),

–   having regard to the conclusions of the Euro-Mediterranean Summit to mark the tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership held in Barcelona on 27-28 November 2005,

–   having regard to the Conclusions of the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Trade held in Marrakesh on 24 March 2006,

–   having regard to the final declaration of the Civil Forum held in Marrakesh from 4 to 7 November 2006,

–   having regard to the Euro-African conference held in Rabat on 10-11 July 2006 and the conference in Tripoli held on 22-23 November 2006,

–   having regard to the programme of the current Presidency of the Council,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the European Council of 8 and 9 March 2007,

–   having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas regard should be had to the strategic importance to the EU of the Mediterranean region and the Middle East and the need for a Mediterranean policy based on solidarity to tackle the numerous common challenges and to achieve the objectives of establishing an area of peace, stability and shared prosperity,

B.   whereas on 28 November 2005 the Heads of State and Government adopted a Five-Year Programme to reinvigorate the Barcelona Process,

C.   whereas there can be no sustainable development without peace, stability, solidarity and good governance and sustainable development must be at the heart of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership,

D.   whereas the worsening of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent years has led to a serious deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with a very negative impact on security throughout the region,

E.   having regard to the decision of the eighth EuroMed conference to hold a conference in 2007 on respect for human rights in the context of combating terrorism in accordance with international law, as a measure to implement the EuroMed Code of Conduct adopted at the Barcelona Summit in November 2005,

F.   whereas the EU does not yet have a common immigration policy and different national rules prevail in each Member State,

G.   whereas illegal immigration can lead to human exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking,

H.   whereas the integration of women in economic and social activity is essential if societies are to develop,

I.   whereas the negative effects of debt and the trade deficit with the European Union on the development of most countries on the southern side of the Mediterranean should be noted,

J.   whereas account should be taken of the abovementioned Communication from the Commission on strengthening the ENP, which contains proposals to significantly improve the impact of the partnership policy, opening up new possibilities for enhancing common relations, strengthening political dialogue and increasing the integration of partner countries in EU policies,

K.   whereas the financial envelope allocated by the EU to the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries for the period 2007-2013 must be maintained at a level commensurate with that of the region's commercial, economic and strategic weight in its relations with the EU,

L.   whereas an emphasis is to be placed on the enormous advantages for all partners of the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean energy market, fully interconnected and integrated by the extension and integration of energy markets in the Euro-Mediterranean and sub-Saharan region, and the completion of the energy infrastructure projects needed,

M.   whereas it might be useful to establish a link between Euro-Mediterranean policy objectives, particularly the economic and financial dimension, and the EU's objectives in its relations with the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council,

N.   whereas the transformation of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary forum into a Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary assembly (EMPA), with three committees, increases the parliamentary dimension of the Euro-Mediterranean process, which now bears great democratic responsibility; whereas this new body should step up the general dialogue between the two regions,

1.  Considers it is appropriate to strengthen the political dimension of neighbourhood towards the south, in view of the increased complexity of relations with the Mediterranean region, towards which the Barcelona Process represented a significant step forward; notes that the objectives with which this policy was launched, aimed at establishing stable relations based on common values shared with the new neighbours of an enlarged Europe, are still far from being achieved;

2.  Considers that the development of the ENP cannot be limited to updating the association and cooperation agreements with each of the countries concerned, stressing only the bilateral dimension, and calls on all partners to relaunch and update the strategic and political objectives of the Barcelona Process, including the creation of cooperation networks and the promotion of North-South and South-South regional integration;

3.  Welcomes the Commission's proposal to give the ENP a thematic dimension, pursuing the reinforcement of trade agreements and strengthening support for reforms to improve the regulatory environment and the investment climate;

4.  Calls on the Commission and the partner countries to give more concrete expression to the relationship between the ENP and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership by adding new agreements and multilateral programmes for energy and transport and by strengthening existing programmes and agreements; emphasises in particular the vulnerability of the Euro-Mediterranean region from an environmental point of view and, more precisely, in terms of climate change, and, against that background, calls on the Commission to put forward an action plan for renewable energy sources for the region;

5.  Reaffirms the need to relaunch the Middle East peace process, taking account of the seriousness of the political and humanitarian situation and draws attention to the limits of the TIM (Temporary International Mechanism); considers that the relaunching of negotiations based on the Road Map will not suffice unless account is taken of other proposals such as the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and unless all players in the region take part in the negotiations; welcomes the prospect of an international conference aimed at reaching a final resolution of the conflict;

6.  Observes with interest the announcement that should lead to the formation of a new Palestinian coalition government and welcomes the initiative taken by Saudi Arabia with the agreement signed in Mecca on 8 February 2007;

7.  Reaffirms that the Middle East conflict can only be resolved by negotiating a firm and final peace agreement, as provided for by the Road Map, i.e. without preconditions, based on the existence of two democratic, sovereign and viable States living in peace alongside one another and within secure and recognised international borders;

8.  Reasserts its concerns about the seriousness of the systematic destruction of natural resources and human potential caused by the various ongoing conflicts; calls for increased use of political and economic measures under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership framework and the five-year action programme in order to tackle this problem;

9.  Stresses the importance of dialogue between cultures and religions by reaffirming the need to respect common values and the need to develop the rule of law, democracy and human rights; reminds all Euro-Mediterranean governments of their commitment, under the Barcelona Declaration of 1995, to the principles of respect for diversity, other beliefs and cultures, the promotion of tolerance, and the principle of respect for fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression;

10.  Considers that no terrorist act can be justified in any circumstances and that terrorist acts cannot be justified by the pursuit of political or religious objectives and that the fight against terrorism cannot legitimise the stigmatisation of any particular culture, civilisation or religion; calls on all countries to abide by their legal obligation to respect human rights and international humanitarian law in the fight against terrorism;

11.  Calls on the Commission to do everything possible to bring about the setting up of "democracy and human rights committees" with all countries that have signed up to the ENP action plans and calls on the partner countries to respect their commitments in this connection, particularly with regard to individual cases; reiterates its call to all contracting parties to the Euro-Mediterranean association agreements to transpose the human rights clause into a programme for action in order to enhance and promote respect for human rights and to put in place a mechanism for the regular assessment of compliance with Article 2 of the Association Agreement in order to make it more effective and more binding;

12.  Highlights the need to address women's rights within the EuroMed Dialogue and stresses the importance of legislative reforms promoting gender equality; stresses the importance of women's participation in political, economic and social life as well as in the media; calls for an improvement in women's access to education and health care, especially in the southern states of the partnership; also stresses the need to support both governmental and non-governmental organisations in promoting women's rights and implementing the action plan for women adopted by the eighth EuroMed conference;

13.  Reaffirms the importance of a social policy that creates jobs, especially for young people, by establishing, in particular, a favourable climate for increased foreign direct investment and by encouraging young people to create new businesses at local level by means of appropriate instruments such as microcredits;

14.  Considers that an education and training policy remains essential for the development of the countries on the southern side of the Mediterranean, the fight against poverty and for young people to become fully integrated; calls for the development of cultural, university and scientific exchanges in the Euro-Mediterranean area;

15.  Calls on the EU institutions and the institutions of the partner Mediterranean countries to ensure that their strategic, political and economic principles take account of the Lisbon and Göteborg Strategy objectives for sustainable development and the Mediterranean Strategy objectives for sustainable development, while also taking account of the need to reduce inequalities and disparities between the two sides of the Mediterranean;

16.  Calls on the Council, the Commission and the governments of the partner countries to give prime importance to environmental problems and in particular to tackle the consequences of urban concentration and industrial and commercial activities on both sides of the Mediterranean;

17.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote respect for social and trade union rights when implementing financial and technical aid programmes in the partner countries; calls on the Commission to implement a regional programme for the construction of a Euro-Mediterranean social area, based on social dialogue between all partners, with employment as a priority objective; advocates the elaboration of codes of conduct for decent work and for social responsibility among Euro-Mediterranean enterprises;

18.  Calls for a major development of investments in the region as part of the European strategy with regard to financial policies and resources in the regional and intra-regional dimension of the Partnership, which would constitute value added for this strategy; invites the Commission, as was decided when the EU budget for 2007 was adopted, to ensure that, when drawing up the relevant strategy papers and related programmes, total resources for regional and multilateral activities are maintained at the level achieved in the 2000-2006 period, taking account of the fact that, according to the Commission, this level has reached 20 % of the total amount;

19.  Stresses the need for a common European immigration and asylum policy and for strengthening the management of migratory flows in a comprehensive and balanced manner that is beneficial to the peoples in the Mediterranean region; stresses the importance, in a spirit of partnership and on the basis of the Barcelona Five-Year Work Programme, of opening effective channels of legal immigration while combating illegal immigration and of protecting the fundamental rights of immigrants and asylum seekers; calls for exploitation and human trafficking to be combated; calls on the states that are party to the Barcelona Process, especially the EU Member States, to ratify the United Nations Convention for the protection of the rights of migrant workers;

20.  Demands an increase in the funding allocated to Frontex and to projects relating to immigration policy in the Mediterranean and demands a strengthening of their capacity to ensure that human rights are respected;

21.  Points out that, pursuant to European Court of Human Rights case law, European states cannot, under any circumstance, send a person back to a State where he or she is likely to be subject to torture or cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment, including the death penalty, without diplomatic assurances from the countries of origin;

22.  Invites the EU Member States and their Mediterranean partners to carry out the necessary studies concerning the transformation of the facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) into a Euro-Mediterranean Development Bank, considering the importance of that bank in driving the private sector and in increasing investment in the area;

23.  Calls on the Commission and the Council to put forward a proposal allowing for the possibility of cooperation, particularly in the financial and economic fields, between all partner countries and the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council;

24.  Calls on the Council, the Commission and partner countries to continue to work towards gradual integration of the Euro-Mediterranean energy markets, to establish energy programmes of common interest and to develop sustainable energy sources, in accordance with national plans and programmes and in agreement with local communities;

25.  Stresses the need to strengthen cooperation on security of energy supply in the Mediterranean region through the use of measures that involve the diversification of domestic energy resources, especially at local and regional level, the promotion of energy efficiency, particularly at decentralised level, conservation methods, the development of new technologies that present no risk to either the environment or the public, research and development activities and the strengthening of financial options for sustainable energy projects;

26.  Reaffirms the need to impart fresh impetus to the partnership process, particularly by breathing new life into the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, as the democratic framework for parliamentary action; stresses that this Assembly should have the necessary resources at its disposal and administrative structures in place so as to give it a high profile and to enable it to run smoothly; welcomes the first meeting of the Mediterranean youth assembly;

27.  Calls on the Council to reserve an active place for the EMPA among those parties invited to EuroMed meetings and ministerial conferences;

28.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Bureau of the EMPA and the parliaments and governments of all the Member States and of the countries of the EuroMed Partnership.