19 THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN PARTNERSHIP
(26974)
13809/05
COM(05) 139
| Commission Communication: "Tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: A work programme to meet the challenges of the next five years"
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| Legal base | —
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| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration |
Minister's letter of 15 December 2005 |
| Previous Committee Report |
HC 34-x (2005-06), para 16 (16 November 2005) |
| Discussed in Council | 21-22 November 2005 General Affairs and External Relations Council
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared, but further information requested
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Background
19.1 The Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign
Affairs, held in Barcelona on 27-28 November 1995, marked the
starting point of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (also known
as the Barcelona Process), which the Commission describes as "a
wide framework of political, economic and social relations between
the Member States of the European Union and Partners of the Southern
Mediterranean" and "a unique and ambitious initiative,
which laid the foundations of a new regional relationship and
which represents a turning point in Euro-Mediterranean relations".[58]
The latest EU enlargement, on 1st May 2004, brought two further
Mediterranean Partners into the European Union, among a total
of 10 new Member States. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership thus
comprises 35 members — 25 EU Member States and 10 Mediterranean
Partners (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian
Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey). Libya has had observer
status since 1999.
19.2 The accompanying Barcelona Declaration
established the three main objectives of the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership:
- The definition of a common
area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political
and security dialogue (Political and Security Chapter);
- The construction of a zone of shared prosperity
through an economic and financial partnership and the gradual
establishment of a free-trade area (Economic and Financial
Chapter); and
- The rapprochement between peoples through a social,
cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding
between cultures and exchanges between civil societies (Social,
Cultural and Human Chapter).
19.3 The Partnership comprises two complementary
dimensions:
- Bilateral dimension: the
European Union carries out a number of activities bilaterally
with each country. The most important are the Euro-Mediterranean
Association Agreements that the Union negotiates with the Mediterranean
Partners individually. They reflect the general principles governing
the new Euro-Mediterranean relationship, although each contain
characteristics specific to the relations between the EU and each
Mediterranean Partner; and
- Regional dimension: regional
dialogue covering the political, economic and cultural fields
and dealing with common problems while emphasising "national
complementarities". The multilateral dimension supports and
complements the bilateral actions and dialogue taking place under
the Association Agreements.
19.4 The existing MEDA programme is the main
financial instrument for the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. From
1995 to 2003, MEDA committed €5,458 million in co-operation
programmes, projects and other supporting activities, the regional
activities comprising around 15% of this budget. The other important
source of funding is the European Investment Bank, which
has lent €14 billion in the Euro-Mediterranean Partners since
1974 (€3.7 billion in 2002-03). Since 2004 the Mediterranean
Partners are also included in the European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP).[59]
The Commission Communication
19.5 The Communication prepared the way for the Euro-Mediterranean
Summit of Heads of State and Government that celebrated the 10th
anniversary of the Barcelona Process on 27-28 November 2005, in
Barcelona, under the UK Presidency of the EU. It proposed three
key axes for improving EU-Mediterranean relations — human
rights and democracy; sustainable economic growth; and education
— and a work programme for Euro-Mediterranean relations
over the next five years: The main proposals were:
a) launching regional negotiations on the
liberalisation of agriculture and of services and establishment;
b) a Democracy Facility;
c) a Euro-Mediterranean scholarship scheme for
university students;
d) the adoption of a timetable towards the de-pollution
of the Mediterranean by 2020;
e) a Euro-Mediterranean conference on human rights
and democratisation; and
f) a Euro-Med transport Ministerial meeting;
a Conference of Justice and Home Affairs ministers; and a Euromed
Ministerial Conference on economic and financial affairs.
19.6 The Commission also proposed agreement by the
end of 2007 on a Code of Conduct on measures to fight terrorism,
including its financing aspects, and welcomed the Secretary General/High
Representative's proposal for a Workshop on Weapons of Mass Destruction
and European Security and Defence Policy.
19.7 In his accompanying 15 November 2005 Explanatory
Memorandum, the Minister for Europe (Mr Douglas Alexander) described
the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership as over-institutionalised,
too wide to have a meaningful impact in the region and, on the
whole, characterised by the predominance of procedure over content.
He accordingly endorsed the Communication's approach of focussing
the partnership around a set of concrete medium-term political
objectives, with what he described as an appropriate level of
ambition and a choice of priority policy areas that both addressed
some of the current shortcomings of the Barcelona Process and
largely corresponded with the Government's own priorities for
the Summit (viz., the fight against terrorism, governance, economic
growth and education). The proposals for the immediate liberalisation
of agriculture and services and investment markets would have
a concrete positive impact in the region; the proposal for a Democracy
Facility to support partners that show a clear commitment to agreed
political reform priorities would help to establish a closer link
between the disbursement of EU aid to the region and performance
by partner countries; and the focus on education was urgently
needed in the region. While difficult to establish whether these
proposals on their own would lead to a stable, safe and prosperous
region, they would "certainly be a step in that direction".
19.8 The Government's aims for the Summit were endorsement
of a Declaration and "an outcome-oriented Five Years Work
Plan with concrete medium term targets on essential economic,
educational, governance and migration reforms, and specifically:
a Code of Conduct against Terrorism; a large Facility for partners
who show a clear commitment to good governance — this facility
will provide additional financial assistance to their national
programmes and objectives; a Euro-Med electoral mechanism to help
support free and fair elections in the region; the liberalisation
of agriculture and services across the Mediterranean by end of
2006; and clear targets on education, such as ensuring that all
school age children under the age of 12 have access to education
and also, increasing the yearly EU funding to education".
On the Financial Implications, the Minister said that an appropriate
level of funding would be required to support targets set in the
European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans and the EuroMed Summit
Work Plan, regardless of the exact structure agreed for the Financial
Perspective for 2007-13, with measurement to be based on "performance
across all areas to ensure a comprehensive approach to development".
19.9 We cleared the Communication at our meeting
on 16 November 2005, but asked the Minister to write to us after
the Summit with his assessment of the extent to the Government's
aims had or had not been attained.[60]
He has now done so in his letter of 15 December 2005.
The Minister's letter
19.10 The Minister says:
"The Government's objectives for the Summit
were largely met. The Summit delivered an ambitious five-year
Work Plan with a substantial package of concrete commitments towards
political, economic and social reform in the Southern Mediterranean
region. A Code of Conduct on Countering Terrorism was also agreed,
representing the first time ever that Europe, Israel and Arab
countries have agreed to condemn terrorism in all its manifestations.
The Code of Conduct also includes practical commitments to act
together against terrorism. It was not possible to reach agreement
on a Summit declaration due to disagreements over language related
to the Middle East conflict. This did not affect the substance
of the Summit. A Chairman's statement, reiterating the overall
political commitments of the Euromed partnership, was agreed instead.
"The commitments agreed included:
—commitments to extend political pluralism
and participation by citizens in the political process;
—a Governance Facility to help those countries
which make progress on good governance, allowing them to access
additional funds to spend on their priorities;
—a commitment to raise standards in conduct
of elections, supported by EU technical assistance and observers.
This will be supported by EU technical assistance and observers;
—agreement to liberalise trade in agriculture
and services. This is a major step towards the agreed goal of
establishing a Euromed Free Trade Area by 2010;
—targets on education including a commitment
to ensure that all children (boys and girls) have access to quality
education and to halve current illiteracy rates in the region
by 2015, backed by more resources from the EU and the Mediterranean
partners themselves. Euromed partners have also committed to developing
a "benchmark standard" university education qualification
transferable within the EU and the region;
—a commitment to develop cooperation between
the EU and Southern-Mediterranean countries on migration, including
managing legal migration and combating illegal flows of people."
Conclusion
19.11 So far, so good. The issues clearly need
addressing if the pressures that lead to instability in and exodus
from the region are to be relieved. Member States have a real
interest and can also play a central role. So, too, the Commission,
especially better delivery against financial commitments and improving
coherence between the Union's internal and external policies and
actions, as set out in "The European Consensus on Development"
agreed at the December 2005 European Council.[61]
But the "Euro" side cannot succeed alone. Commitments
are all well and good: but delivery is what counts. In his earlier
EM, the Minister suggested that more whole-hearted commitment
than hitherto would be required if the verdict in five years'
time is to differ from the present one. The level of attendance
on the "Med" side, compared with that on the "Euro",
was thus discouraging. Press coverage, and subsequent developments,
similarly raise continuing questions about the level of commitment
of at least some of the Partners.
19.12 Looking ahead, Annex 1 of our earlier report
(which we repeat here for ease of reference) contains the timelines
for the key initiatives set out in the Communication. Although
no date has been set, it seems that there may be a Euro-African
conference in 2006. But it is unclear at this stage whether the
proposed Conference will produce proposals that will be subject
to normal parliamentary scrutiny. We therefore ask that the Minister
writes again in two years' time, by when the extent to which Summit
commitments have led to action on the ground — especially
in the key areas of combating terrorism, governance, economic
growth and education — should be clearer. Depending on the
response, we might then consider recommending a debate on the
topic.
58 http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/euromed. Back
59
"a new policy that invites our neighbours to the East and
to the South to share in the peace, stability and prosperity that
we enjoy in the European Union and which aims to create a ring
of friends around the borders of the new enlarged EU": http://europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/index_en.htm. Back
60
See headnote. Back
61
(26737); 11413/05 + ADD 1 - see HC 34-xii (2005-06), para 8 (30
November 2005). Back
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