13 EU-Lebanon Action Plan
| (28469)
7326/07
COM(07) 84
| Draft Council Decision on a Community position in the Association Council on the implementation of Article 80 of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Lebanon
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| Legal base | Art 300 EC; unanimity
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| Document originated | 7 March 2007
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| Deposited in Parliament | 19 March 2007
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| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 28 March 2007
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (27865) HC 34-xxxvii (2005-06), para 50 (11 October 2006) and (26434) HC 38-xv (2004-05), para 14 (6 April 2005)
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| To be discussed in Council | 23 April 2007 General Affairs and External Relations Council
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
13.1 The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) proposes a new framework
for relations with the eastern European neighbours of the enlarged
EU (Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova), its southern Mediterranean
neighbours (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Palestinian
Authority, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) and three countries of the
southern Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). A closer
relationship with the EU is offered in return for progress on
internal reform, with the objective of promoting regional and
sub-regional cooperation, political stability and economic development.
The ENP does not prejudge future applications for EU membership
by eligible countries.
13.2 Our predecessors cleared the European Neighbourhood Strategy,
along with the Country Reports on seven "First Wave"
partners — Ukraine, Moldova, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Jordan
and the Palestinian Authority — in June 2004.[38]
Later that month, they cleared what the then Minister for Europe
described as "some of the elements which could form part
of the EU's offer" and the likely priorities of each Plan.[39]
Subsequently, on 8 December, they cleared the Action Plans on
the seven "First Wave" partners that were subsequently
approved by the 13 December 2004 General Affairs and External
Relations Council.[40]
Each of the Action Plans, the then Minister said, combined "opportunities
for closer co-operation in areas of common interest, with a stronger
desire from the EU to establish a set of shared common values
including on issues such as human rights, democratisation, counter-proliferation
and counter-terrorism".
13.3 Then, on 6 April 2005, they cleared Commission Communication
7313/05, which presented the elements of the proposed European
Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans for Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,
Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon,
as neighbours of the post-enlargement European Union.[41]
13.4 Last October, we cleared the Council Decision that activated
the EU-Lebanon Action Plan, which was annexed to it. The Plan
operates via the EU-Lebanon Association Agreement, which forms
the legal basis for the EU's relations with Lebanon and which
entered into force on 1 April 2006.
The EU-Lebanon Action Plan
13.5 The EU-Lebanon Action Plan defines the way ahead for the
next five years, covering a number of key areas for specific action
and including commitments on security sector reform, conflict
prevention, combating terrorism and border management. Under the
Plan, Lebanon is offered:
— regular
political dialogue;
— increased
financial support;
— participation
in relevant Community programmes, promoting i.a. cultural, educational,
environmental, technical and scientific links;
— technical
assistance and twinning to meet EU norms;
— deepening
trade and economic relations; and
— enhanced
direct cooperation between administrations based on the bodies
set up by the Association Agreement in particular institutionalised
thematic sub-committees.
13.6 In his accompanying Explanatory Memorandum,
the Minister described "a comprehensive set of priorities
for action by Lebanon in areas within and beyond the scope of
the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement", among which
the following were to be given particular attention:
— enhancing
political dialogue and cooperation, based on shared values, including
issues such as democracy and political life promoting the protection
of human rights, consolidating the freedom of media and expression;
— continuing
to develop an independent and impartial judiciary and to further
reinforce the administrative capacity of the judiciary;
— establishing
a comprehensive human rights strategy, including protection of
rights of minorities, marginalised populations and non-citizens;
— taking
steps to develop further freedom of media and freedom of expression;
— cooperating
to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding;
— further
promoting equal treatment of women, including by preparing a plan
to increase women's participation in political and economic life
as well as eliminating all forms of discrimination against women;
— strengthening
political dialogue and cooperation on issues of international
and regional interest including the Middle East Peace Process,
the fight against terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction;
— taking
steps to bring the fiscal position to a sustainable basis while
reducing the debt burden and improving public finance management;
— taking
measures to improve business conditions to enhance growth, increase
investment and to create jobs in Lebanon;
— enhancing
Lebanon's export potential by further liberalisation of trade
in goods and agriculture, simplifying and upgrading customs legislation
and procedures, improving industrial standards and modernisation
of the sanitary and phytosanitary systems;
— preparing
for progressive liberalisation of trade in services and right
of establishment;
— improving
cooperation on the management of migratory flows and dialogue
on visa issues;
— strengthening
the environmental dimension of public policy and EU-Lebanon co-operation;
— promoting
sustainable development policies and actions, and design and implement
a comprehensive social development strategy that contributes to
poverty reduction;
— developing
the transport, energy, water and information society sectors and
networks through sector liberalisation, investment in infrastructures
and interconnection with EU networks; and
— strengthening
cooperation on science and technology.
13.7 The Minister noted that the Action Plan met
the Government's key objectives for ENP of a safe, secure neighbourhood,
which had taken on greater importance since the outbreak of hostilities
in Lebanon last summer, in response to which there was an even
more pressing need to promote stability and security. The Government
welcomed the prospect of an enhanced relationship with Lebanon
on the basis of shared common values, and effective implementation
of political, economic and institutional reforms and hoped that
the Action Plan would provide support and impetus to Lebanon's
own reform programme aimed at further integration into European
economic and social structures. The Action Plan would also be
an effective tool for targeting technical assistance. Political
and economic reform in Lebanon, including on democracy and the
rule of law, corruption, electoral law reform, independence of
the judiciary and macro-economic stability would, he said, be
important in helping secure the future stability of Lebanon. The
Action Plan also supported UK efforts to implement UNSCR 1701,
which was aimed at bringing long term peace and security to Lebanon,
in particular by establishing a basis for cooperation on security
sector reform, conflict prevention, combating terrorism and border
management, and for cooperation on improving the economic and
social situation of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
13.8 Progress would be monitored using existing structures
under the EU-Lebanon Association Agreement and formally reviewed
after two years. For our part, we noted that it was difficult
to imagine either more challenging circumstances in which to launch
this Action Plan, or ones where progress was more important to
EU and Member States' interests, and hoped that, despite the history
and context, in two years' time the review would be able to demonstrate
at least some positive outcomes.
The Council Decision
13.9 The EU-Lebanon Association Agreement established
an Association Council (at ministerial level) and an Association
Committee (at senior official level). Against this background,
the present Council Decision utilises Article 80 of the Agreement
to establish ten sub-committees covering:
i) human rights, democracy and governance;
ii) economic and financial matters;
iii) industry, trade, and services;
iv) internal market;
v) social and migration affairs;
vi) justice, freedom and security;
vii) agriculture and fisheries;
viii) transport, energy and environment;
ix) customs cooperation and taxation; and
x) research, innovation, information society,
education and culture.
13.10 In his 29 March Explanatory Memorandum, the
Minister for Europe at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr
Geoffrey Hoon) says that, under the guidance of the Association
Council and Association Committee, the sub-committees will allow
for more detailed discussions and closer scrutiny of progress
across a range of policy areas, for the EU to monitor more closely
progress made by Lebanon towards the objectives set out in the
Association Agreement, and for "the EU to calibrate its engagement".
He says that Lebanon is willing to strengthen cooperation in the
various fields covered by the Association Agreement, again endorses
the Agreement as an appropriate framework for political dialogue
and for the promotion of cooperation in other areas of mutual
interest; and therefore welcomes the Commission's proposal to
establish the relevant sub-committees, which the Council proposes
to endorse on 23 April 2007.
Conclusions
13.11 As we have noted throughout our and our
predecessors' consideration of the European Neighbourhood Policy,
a particular challenge will be how to give reality to the agreed
basis of "shared values", especially in the areas embraced
by "good governance", with those partners outside the
"near neighbourhood" who do not have the incentive of
even a prospect of ultimate EU membership. This will be particularly
so in Lebanon, given the huge uncertainties prevailing in the
aftermath of the summer 2006 conflict with Israel. We shall therefore
await the Commission's first progress report with particular interest.
13.12 In the meantime, we are reporting these
latest developments because of the interest of the House in both
the region and in the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy.
38 (25708) 9921/04: see HC 42-xxii (2003-04), para
22 (9 June 2004). Back
39
(25744-50) -: see HC 42-xxiv (2003-04), para 6 (23 June 2004). Back
40
(26155-60 and 26174) 16164/04, 16166/04, 16162/04, 16167/04, 16218/04,
15991/04 and 16178/04: see HC 38-ii (2004-05), para 9 (8 December
2004); HC 38-vii (2004-05), para 8 (2 February 2005). Back
41
(26434) 7313/05: see HC 38-xv (2004-05), para 14 (6 April 2005). Back
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