EURO-MEDITERRANEAN PARTNERSHIP: TIME TO
DELIVER (14822/06)
Letter from the Chairman to Rt Hon Geoff
Hoon MP, Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The above document was considered by Sub-Committee
C on 23 November.
The Sub-Committee welcomed the Communication
from the Commission on the Tampere Euro-Mediterranean Foreign
Affairs Ministers Conference and agreed with the Government's
view that it is a very useful summary of activities undertaken
since last year's summit on the Barcelona process, and serves
as a good basis for the discussion at Foreign Ministers level.
The Sub-Committee are pleased that the Government
has pledged to continue to work for a stronger emphasis on the
commitments made under the political and security heading, and
would hope that this approach continues to guide Government policy
under the Barcelona process and in the framework of the European
Neighbourhood Policy.
The Sub-Committee would have liked to see an
analysis of the financial implications of the proposed Work Plan
for 2007 in the Explanatory Memorandum, even though the Euromed
Five-Year Work Programme will be "taken forward through the
European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument". We would
therefore be grateful if you could provide a country-by-country
summary of the purpose, level and sources of financing for Euromed
activities in 2007.
With these provisos, however, we have decided
to clear the document from scrutiny.
28 November 2006
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP to the
Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 28 November which
welcomed the above Commission Communication and cleared the document
from scrutiny.
Your Committee sought further details of the
financial implications of the proposed Work Plan for 2007. Under
the next Financial Perspective, Euromed regional activities will
be mostly financed by EC funds from the European Neighbourhood
and Partnership Instrument. On an ad hoc basis, EU Presidencies
or other EU or Partner countries can also provide financial and/or
logistical assistance, especially when seminars or meetings are
taking place in their country.
The Commission's Regional Indicative Programme
for the Southern Region has allocated €10 million to take
forward regional EuroMed activities planned for 2007.
13 December 2006
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP to the
Chairman
Your Committee cleared the Commission Communication
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: Time to Deliver on
9 November 2006. This Communication provided the basis for the
preparations for the Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Ministers Conference,
which took place in Tampere, Finland, which Baroness Royall of
Blaisdon attended for the UK government. As requested by the House
of Commons Scrutiny Committee, I am writing to inform you of the
outcome of the Ministerial Conference, and outline progress that
has been made since then.
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 co-operation
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 foward 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.
29 March 2007
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