The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek will attend the Bureau meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean tomorrow in Rome.  As President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek is also the Co-President of the Assembly.

Speaking ahead of the meeting President Buzek said: "The European Parliament has always been a keen supporter of strong Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.  

The newly named Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean is ready to enhance the parliamentary dimension of our cooperation. The Assembly is further strengthened by the decision to soon establish its permanent secretariat. The secretariat will bring a fresh impetus for the parliamentary contribution to a process which is stagnating. It is very important to create a closer partnership between all countries and societies of the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The citizens in the Euro-Mediterranean region need and expect strong and effective cooperation on concrete projects that would benefit all of them - and it is their Parliamentary Assembly that is expected to echo those needs and aspirations. Those concrete projects have to go ahead. Our role as parliamentarians is to make sure that it happens."

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Note to editors:
For more details on Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean follow this link:  
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/delegations/homeDel.do?language=EN&body=DMED

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For further information:

Robert A. Golański
Deputy Spokesman
Mobile: +32 475 751 663

Delia Vlase
Press Officer,
Mobile: +32 476 331 038