12 The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
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14822/06
COM(06) 620
| Commission Communication: The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: Time to Deliver
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| Legal base | — |
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 24 March 2007
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 41-i (2006-07), para 15 (22 November 2006); also see HC 34-x (2005-06), para 16 (16 November 2005) and HC 34-xiv (2005-06), para 19 (11 January 2006)
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| Discussed in Council | November 2006 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 (reported on 29 November 2006)
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Background
12.1 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, it has the aim of building "a space
of dialogue, peace, security and shared prosperity". The
Mediterranean Partners are Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey (Libya
has observer status since 1999). The Partnership is described
by the Commission 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 represented "a turning
point in Euro-Mediterranean relations".[32]
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).
- 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).
12.2 The Partnership is underpinned by bilateral Association Agreements
that the Union negotiates with the Mediterranean Partners individually
(reflecting the general principles governing the Euro-Mediterranean
relationship but with characteristics specific to the relations
between the EU and each Mediterranean Partner) and regional dialogue
covering the political, economic and cultural fields and dealing
with common problems while emphasising "national complementarities".
The MEDA programme and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are
the main financial support mechanisms. Since 2004 the Mediterranean
Partners are also included in the European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP), and from 2007 will be funded via the new European Neighbourhood
and Partnership Instrument (and the EIB).[33]
12.3 A year ago, we considered a Commission Communication which
set up a new work programme over the next five years, in preparation
for the 10th anniversary Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Heads of
State and Government (in Barcelona, on 27-28 November 2005). At
that time, the then Minister of Europe judged that the Process
had been successful in creating long-term political and institutional
links between Europe and Mediterranean Partners and reinforcing
historically and strategically strong links; but was over-institutionalised
and too wide to have a meaningful impact in the region; and that,
while considerable progress has been made on the negotiation of
association agreements, the success of the partnership in promoting
stability and growth in the region is questionable.
12.4 The Communication aimed to focus the partnership around three
key axes for improving EU-Mediterranean relations: human rights
and democracy; sustainable economic growth; and education. The
main proposals were:
— launching
regional negotiations on the liberalisation of agriculture and
of services and establishment;
— a
Democracy Facility;
— a
Euro-Mediterranean scholarship scheme for university students;
— the
adoption of a timetable towards the de-pollution of the Mediterranean
by 2020;
— a
Euro-Mediterranean conference on human rights and democratisation;
— Euro-Med
Ministerial meetings on Transport; Justice and Home Affairs; and
Economic and Financial Affairs; and
— a
Code of Conduct on measures to fight terrorism, including its
financing aspects.
12.5 The Minister said these proposals addressed
some of the current shortcomings and were a step in the direction
of a stable, safe and prosperous region. The liberalisation of
agriculture and services and investment markets would have a concrete
positive impact. A Democracy Facility to support partners that
showed a clear commitment to agreed political reform priorities
would help to establish a closer link between the disbursement
of EU aid and performance by partner countries. The focus on education
was urgently needed. The priority policy areas (human rights/democracy,
education and economic growth) largely corresponded to the Government's
priorities for the forthcoming Summit (fight against terrorism,
governance, economic growth and education). Its aims were a Declaration
and an outcome-oriented Five Year Work Plan with concrete medium
term targets on essential economic, educational, governance and
migration reforms. The main concrete objectives were: a Code of
Conduct against Terrorism; a large Facility for partners who show
a clear commitment to good governance, to provide additional financial
assistance to their national programmes and objectives; a Euro-Med
electoral mechanism to help support free and fair elections; the
liberalisation of agriculture and services by end-2006; and clear
targets on education.
12.6 We concluded that, even for an EU member far
from the Mediterranean, it was plain why a Euro-Med Partnership
was necessary, given the concerns throughout the Union about the
pressures from, particularly, illegal immigration. And equally
plain that, after ten years, the proposed refocussing was required.
The Government regarded the level of ambition in the Commission's
proposals as well-pitched. We felt that some might regard them
as very challenging, particularly regarding liberalisation of
trade and services and in effectively linking aid and performance,
especially in areas of good governance. Nonetheless, the issues
were clearly ones that need to be addressed if the pressures that
lead to instability and exodus from the region were to be relieved,
and Member States had not only a real interest but could also
play a central role. We cleared the Communication and asked the
Minister to write after the event with his assessment of the extent
to which his aims and objectives had or had not been attained.[34]
12.7 In a letter of 15 December 2005, the then Minister
for Europe said that the Government's objectives for the Summit
were largely met: "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 — "the first
time ever that Europe, Israel and Arab countries have agreed to
condemn terrorism in all its manifestations" — and
(despite disagreements over language related to the Middle East
conflict preventing agreement on a Summit declaration) a Chairman's
statement, reiterating the overall political commitments of the
Euro-Med Partnership:
— extending
political pluralism and participation 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;
— raising
elections standards, with EU technical assistance and observers;
— agreement
to liberalise trade in agriculture and services: "a major
step towards the agreed goal of establishing a Euromed Free Trade
Area by 2010";
— education
targets, including access for all children to quality education
and to halving illiteracy rates by 2015, backed by more resources
from the EU and the Mediterranean partners themselves; and
— cooperation
on managing legal and combating illegal migration.
12.8 We concluded that these issues clearly need
addressing if the pressures that lead to instability in and exodus
from the region are to be relieved; that Member States have a
real interest and can also play a central role; so, too, the Commission,
especially in better delivery against financial commitments and
improving coherence between the Union's internal and external
policies and actions. But we also felt that the "Euro"
side cannot succeed alone. Commitments were all well and good:
but delivery was what counted. The then Minister suggested that
more whole-hearted commitment than hitherto would be required
if the verdict in five years' time was to differ from the present
one. We therefore asked the Minister to write again in two years'
time, by when the extent to which Summit commitments had led to
action on the ground should be clearer; depending on the response,
we thought that a debate on the topic might be appropriate.[35]
12.9 A year on, we considered this Communication,
which was part of the preparations for the 27-28 November Euro-Med
Foreign Ministers Conference. It reviewed the work undertaken
since the Barcelona Summit; proposed priorities for 2007; took
forward work to improve the working methods of the Partnership;
and identified ten areas of action. The Minister for Europe's
assessment was somewhat downbeat: it was "a useful summary
and forward look by the Commission" and "a fair reflection
of the range of Euro-Med activities", which "fits well
with our call for a Review Mechanism to regularly review progress
against the Five-Year Work Programme". Whilst welcoming the
proposed seminar on standards in the conduct of elections, he
would have hoped to see more work on other commitments made at
Barcelona under the political and security heading, in particular
on "promoting and supporting [partners'] political reforms
on the basis of universal principles, shared values and the Neighbourhood
Action Plans" and on "a substantial financial Facility
to support willing Mediterranean partners in carrying out their
reforms". He would continue to encourage this.
12.10 Although the Communication did not say so,
the sums involved are significant: approximately €3.5 billion
for 2007-10. We noted that, eleven years on, it was difficult
to argue that the region is significantly closer to being a "space
of dialogue, peace, security and shared prosperity". If anything,
concerns about security and illegal migration were stronger than
ever. The rationale remained sound. But, as the Communication's
title succinctly said, it was now "Time to Deliver".
We cleared the Communication, but asked the Minister to write
after the meeting with his assessment thereof, and again before
the summer recess with his evaluation of the progress made by
then.
The Minister's letter
12.11 In his 24 March 2007 letter, the Minister for
Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr Geoffrey Hoon)
outlines the outcome of the Ministerial Conference, and outline
progress made since then, as follows:
THE TAMPERE CONFERENCE
"At Tampere, the Finnish Presidency succeeded
in securing forward-looking Conclusions that were agreed by all
35 EuroMed Partners. This is only the second time that EuroMed
Foreign Ministers have been able to adopt conclusions unanimously.
Ministers reiterated their commitment to take forward the Barcelona
Summit Five-Year Work Programme and to implement the Code of Conduct
on Countering Terrorism. To this end, they agreed to undertake
a wide range of activities in 2007, including:
- EuroMed Seminars on the role
of the media in preventing incitement to terrorism and on ensuring
respect for human rights in the fight against terrorism in accordance
with international law;
- Pursuing negotiations on the
progressive liberalisation of trade in services and agriculture;
- A EuroMed Ministerial Conference
on Energy in 2007. Partners also agreed to increase cooperation
on energy security and climate change;
- A EuroMed Ministerial Conference
on Higher Education and Scientific Research in 2007. Ministers
also reiterated their commitment to increase significantly funding
devoted to education in the Mediterranean area;
- EuroMed Ministerial meeting
on migration in 2007; and
- Agreement to hold a EuroMed
Foreign Ministers Conference at the end of each year.
PROGRESS SINCE TAMPERE
"The fact that the Conclusions were agreed
by all 37 partners, and that the Summary of Initiatives covers
the whole of 2007 rather than the usual six-month forecast by
incoming presidencies, has enabled more effective and comprehensive
planning of EuroMed work during the German and Portuguese Presidencies
of the EU. And UK officials have played an active part in this
planning, through, for example, preparations for the Energy and
Migration Ministerial meetings in September and November, and
the seminar on the role of the media in preventing incitement
to terrorism that will take place in May. We are also working
with partners on the design of the proposed Governance Facility.
We have stressed the importance of taking forward work on the
proposed seminar on best practice in elections, which remains
under discussion among EuroMed officials. Another key area of
work for the UK is encouraging greater focus on climate change
issues, for example by contributing a UK paper to discussions
on the environment at the EuroMed meeting in April.
"In conclusion, we continue to work to ensure
that the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership effectively strengthens
cooperation between the EU and Southern Partners in important
areas".
Conclusions
12.12 Elsewhere in this Report we consider the
latest developments in two important components of the Euro-Med
partnership, namely the European Neighbourhood Partnership Actions
Plans for Egypt and Lebanon, which illustrate all too clearly
the challenges that the EU and Member States will face in developing,
in particular, the "good governance" aspects of the
partnership and making a reality of the "shared values"
to which regular reference is made.[36]
Our consideration of the FEMIP also shows the extent to which
the partner governments have yet to commit to the development
of fully-fledged market economies.[37]
12.13 We are grateful to the Minister for this
further information, which we are reporting to the House because
of the widespread interest in and importance of the EU's relations
with the Mediterranean partners. Rather than a further report
before the summer recess, in view of the developments to which
the Minister refers, we now think that a further report before
the year's end would be more valuable, which we now request.
32 http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/euromed Back
33
"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
34
See headnote. Back
35
See headnote. Back
36
See paragraphs 11 and 13 of this Report. Back
37
See (27924): HC 41-v (2006-07), para 9 (10 January 2007). The
European Investment Bank's operations in the Mediterranean partner
countries were brought together under the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean
Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) in October 2002. In line with
the wider Europe Neighbourhood Policy, FEMIP aims to help the
Mediterranean partner countries meet the challenges of economic
and social modernisation and enhanced regional integration, particularly
in the run-up to the creation of a customs union with the EU by
2010. For further information, see http://www.eib.org/femip Back
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