I COMMISSION POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CHAIRMAN: Jan Mans (NL) 1st VICE CHAIRMAN: Said El Dakkak (EG) VICE CHAIRMAN: Marc Thoulen (BE) ========================================================== Speakers: Toivo Riimaa (EE) Nabil Shawagfeh (JO) Reference for the Secretariat Francesco Sammaritano (IT)
THE MEDITERRANEAN UNION The President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy, in order to promote the project of a Mediterranean Union, has selected a region of the Arab Maghreb as a destination for his first non- European trip. On the day of his election Mr. Sarkozy already declared his intention to promote the project of a Mediterranean integration; such an idea had stimulated a lively debate in the European and Arab chancelleries, testifying the awareness of European countries of the need to promote new fora of dialogue to relaunch the Euro-Arab relations in need of new stimuli. In fact, after twelve years, the Barcelona process shows some limitations and drawbacks which according to some political analysts are the consequence of the shift of interest of EU policies towards Eastern Europe to the detriment of the Mediterranean Area. Fist of all, it is important to clarify the nature of the legal and institutional structure of such new body, according to French diplomats: Will it be a new supernational organisation? Or, will it be a Committee of States which will meet only for common projects and initiatives on some specific topics? What countries will be members of such a committee? What role shall the European Union play and, above all, will this new project downsize the Barcelona process? What reactions has the initiative caused in the involved countries? It is obvious that many aspects of the French project still have to be clarified. The intention is to re-address the attention of the EU towards the South of Europe; in fact, the geopolitical attention of the European Union, which has been focused so far on Eastern Europe, has substantially weakened the role of the European Mediterranean Countries. However, let us analyse the situation step by step: THE MEDITERRANEAN UNION STRUCTURE The information report of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the French National Assembly dated 5 December 2007, outlines the international legal aspects of a structure gathering Heads of States and Heads of Governments from member states of the Mediterranean Union, as well as the Representatives of the European Commission and of the League of Arab States which will be both members by right.
In practice, this organisation should be a kind of Mediterranean G8 partnership whose aim is to meet in order to develop and implement a limited and well selected number of projects; such projects will be carefully analysed and implemented by the Member States of the Mediterranean Union. Therefore, this will be a new organism which, for some aspects, is similar to the group of Ministers of Foreign Affairs for the dialogue (group 5+5) whose members are five countries of Southern Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Malta and Portugal) and 5 Maghreb Countries (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia). The 5+5 dialogue has given rise to several initiatives of crosssectoral cooperation, particularly on the subjects of defence, transports, fight against terrorism and trafficking. The Commission regularly takes part as an observer in some sectoral meetings, particularly those dealing with transport and immigration. JOINING COUNTRIES The opening ceremony, scheduled for June 2008, will see the participation of the promoter countries (France, Italy and Spain), as well as of Greece and Egypt* (these two countries will be invited to participate as promoter countries if the invitation recently proposed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, Mr. Massimo D Alema, will be confirmed). Other countries participating as Standing Members are: Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Turkey. Subsequently, another summit will be organised with the participation of the promoter countries and of the countries that have applied for adhesion, along with other EU countries (non-promoter countries) which could join the partnership as non-standing members for a cooperation on common projects. The role of the new body, as well as of Balkan countries and of the countries of former-yugoslavia and of the Palestinian Authority still have to be clearly defined.
FINANCIAL ISSUES As already mentioned, cooperation will be organised on common project proposals. Partnership projects will be mainly focused on common issues (environment, energy resources, immigration etc) and their funding will be submitted to BEI and BERS approval. As President Sarkozy stated in Toulon, the future goal is to establish a Mediterranean Bank. Such an initiative is neither in conflict with the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) nor with the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) the two initiatives setting up the Mediterranean policy of the EU. In practice, however, the EU Mediterranean policy is so widespread and comprehensive that any project proposed by the Mediterranean Union will surely overlap with similar initiatives started by the European Union. For these reasons the Mediterranean Union could have a specific task: identifying and promoting projects in neglected fields or in sectors where the policy of the EU is insufficient, as in the case, for example, of energy and immigration. From this perspective, it should also be considered the willingness of EU Member Countries to allocate the necessary resources; and since they are also members of the EU will they allocate extra resources or will they downsize the resources provided to the European Union to implement their projects under the umbrella of the Mediterranean Union? More generally, how could the unavoidable competition with the EU be managed? In one of the last versions of the initiative, Mr. Sarkozy, has included the Commission among the members of the Mediterranean Union: will the Commission be asked to make Community resources available for the Mediterranean Union?
Therefore it is evident that the harmonisation of the activities of the two Unions will be difficult and that the Members of the Mediterranean Union will have to serve two masters. Moreover, this initiative does not take into account the fact that some northern European countries consider the Mediterranean dimension as a national one; this approach is partly due to the development of their Community awareness and partly generated by their concrete interests in the Mediterranean: first of all the issue of immigration and, more in general, also the relationships with Islamic countries; more specifically the issue of Palestine. Germany is in the front row, but also Finland and Sweden are highly interested in the Mediterranean. RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE EU The doubts raised by the institutional representatives of the European Union about the French proposal have been partially clarified by the fundamental specifications of Mr. Kouchner and of the Ambassador LeRoy that the project of a Mediterranean Union does not mean to abolish the socalled Barcelona process but to coexist with it and to intensify its action. Obviously many aspects of the French project have to be clarified. The general intention clearly is to re-focus the attention of the EU on Southern Europe; in fact, the EU attention on Eastern Europe, has substantially weakened the role of France, that on the contrary feels itself fit to play an important role at a Mediterranean level. Other specific profiles still have to be clarified along with the project as a whole. Besides the relationship of the Mediterranean Union with the Barcelona process, the role of Balkan countries, which should be included in the future Union, should be also made clear. In this perspective, the fact that Turkey deserves special attention due to its strategic role for the Mediterranean and more generally for the Alliance of western countries is clear to everyone. It is worth quoting Ms. Ferrero Waldner, the European Commissioner for foreign relations who said: I think we should welcome this project as the so called neighbourhood policy of Barcelona is the starting point of our work. The Mediterranean Union project is an additional step forward that can enhance this policy. Finally the Portuguese President Luis Amado, current President of the EU Council spoke about a very appropriate initiative and he also added that for the peace of the region a new strategic relationship between the EU and the whole Mediterranean area is absolutely crucial. REACTIONS IN INVOLVED COUNTRIES There have been different reactions concerning Sarkozy s intervention about the Mediterranean Union in Rabat. In Spain, Juan Prat, ambassador for the Mediterranean affairs, considered this proposal as an efficient tool to deal with the risks deriving from immigration, terrorism and climate changes. In a telephone interview he stated: We are ready to work with him to reach this goal, since we need to re-launch the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Even in Israel, where Sarkozy s speech in Toulon has been spread out through diplomatic channels, the reaction was positive. Diplomatic sources maintain that Shimon Peres called Sarkozy to inform him about his enthusiasm for the very important project of the Mediterranean Union, and his interest in taking part in the debate on such project. Negative reactions, on the contrary, have been disclosed by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who together with the Minister of British Foreign Affairs Gordon Brown declared that the Mediterranean Union could jeopardize the European Union s existence. According to Ms.
Merkel a strengthened cooperation between the southern EU countries and the areas bordering the Mediterranean could imply a collapse of the EU in its central core which could trigger unwished violent reactions within the EU; these were Ms. Merkel s words during the meeting 'Konvent fuer Deutschland', an association of political consultants: It is not possible for some countries to decide the creation of a Mediterranean Union, and that, in order to do so, make use of common European resources. The Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak has warmly welcomed the initiative of President Sarkozy, in fact he has defined the idea of a Mediterranean Union an extraordinary proposal which should be carefully evaluated. The King of Morocco Mohamed VI affirmed he is ready to test the proposal of a Mediterranean Union and defined this project as a potential new covenant between Europe and Africa. The Secretary of the Union of Arab Maghreb (UAM) Habib Benyahya, during the last summit of the Organisation, made clear that the Mediterranean Union should not work to the detriment of the UAM, it should rather be an alternative to the Organisation. Finally, towards the end of December a meeting has been held in Rome between the Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Louis Rodriguez Zapatero and President Nicolas Sarkozy where full support to the initiative of the Mediterranean Union was confirmed; on this occasion the fact that the Union is a new opportunity for Mediterranean countries to be co-actors together with the EU was also pointed out. The Mediterranean Union originates from three European countries, it is established within the European Union and is functional to the European Union. CONCLUSIONS First of all, those which would mostly benefit from the establishment of the Mediterranean Union are the Mediterranean Countries. It is clear that the process of integration between the two Mediterranean shores, which started in 1995, is partly missing its goals; therefore it seems unlikely that a free-trade area could be established by 2010. In consideration of the results got in the framework of the euromediterranean policies, in the future could be established an organization modelled after the European Union, with its own institutions and with a Mediterranean Bank that should promote investment for the development of the most disadvantaged areas. Thanks to this new regional organisation a decisive step forward in the establishment of the Free trade Area of the Mediterranean could be made. Mr. Sarkozy s project could also be functional to strengthen the EU role, since Brussels could play a more important geopolitical role at the international level. The Mediterranean Union, in fact, could be the perfect split link between the EU and the remaining African countries. By means of this organization, western Europe would in fact create a new boundary with underdeveloped African countries. By supporting the upgrading of those north African states already experiencing a level of development above the average of the continent, the EU could trigger a virtuous cycle able to generate wealth in the continent as a whole. The task is difficult but not impossible and the EU would obtain a fundamental political success which would put Brussels in the position to play a key role at a worldwide level: a goal that Brussels has been trying to reach for a long time. Finally, Mr. Sarkozy s project could be important for Turkey. First of all, Ankara could play a prestigious role in the eastern Mediterranean area and, consequently, it could acquire reliability at
the international level. By confirming its role of reliable partner for the EU, as it has been so far, Turkey could convince France to change its attitude towards its adhesion to the EU. The Mediterranean Union can therefore be an opportunity for Ankara to demonstrate its usefulness to Brussels and this would not represent a downgrading of its request for an immediate adhesion to the EU. Moreover, we should not forget that the establishment of the Mediterranean Union would not imply a standstill in the negotiations between Turkey and the European institutions. Finally, two different strategies of development of the Mediterranean Union could be outlined: according to one approach the Mediterranean Union could be complementary to the EU. According to the other, the role of the Mediterranean Union could be downsized at a sub-regional level. These two strategies could increase the value added of the European policy in the Mediterranean and could regenerate the positive attitude of Europe towards the area. In order to make the Mediterranean Union complementary to the EU it is fundamental to make it a south European initiative made up of the countries of southern Europe which are Member States of the EU (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Greece and maybe Cyprus), as well as of North African countries. Moreover, an accurate agenda complementary to the actions of the EU must be developed. It should be also made clear that the countries joining this initiative are willing to implement these actions with extra resources and not with the resources they already allocate to other organisations, such as the EU. According to this approach, the presence of the Commission as an observer is a correct measure which will ensure a control of the projects complementarity. A subregional dimension of the project could be the transformation of the 5+5 Group or of the Forum of the Mediterranean into a Union and the enlargement to new members (without altering the sub-regional nature of the format). It could also lead to the creation of a Mediterranean entity similar to the Northern Dimension. The Mediterranean Union could also be a project for a stronger cooperation within the framework of the EU instead of creating an ex novo organisation. This solution, strongly supported by France and other countries, is an intermediate solution between the complementarity and downsizing approach. UPDATINGS HANNOVER MEETING, MARCH 3TH, 2008 During the Hannover meeting, March 3th, 2008, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, and the President of French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy seem to have achieved an agreement about the Mediterranean Union. According to Financial Times, the agreement provides the full implementation of the improvement of Barcelona Declaration, which will adopt a new name (it should be Union for the Mediterranean) with a richer budget than the current one. The Chancellor Angela Merkel has declared that this project will involve, as protagonists, all the 27 countries of EU and it will be officialy presented at the next European Councill, forseen on June 21 st / 22 nd, 2008.
BRUXELLES, MARCH 13 TH 2008 Finally, on March 13 th, the President of European Commision José Manuel Borroso has exactly declared: European Commission completely supports the Union for the Mediterranean relaunching, in this way, the plan promoted by French President Sarkozy. EUROPEAN COUNCILL, MARCH 13 TH /14 TH Finally, on the occasion of European Councill of March 13 th /14 th, the current Presidend of Euopean Councill, Janez Jansa, claimed, during the press conference of the European Summit of Bruxelles, that the project will be realised within the Barcelona Process, and a new formal and substantial proposal will be launched, giving new life to a long rage partnership, based on political dialogue and economic, social and cultural cooperation. The initiative will be officialy explained during the European summit of Paris on July 21 th 2008, with the name Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. PARIS, JULY 21 2008 (1 UFM SUMMIT) The Union for Mediterranean (UFM) symbolically originates from an handshake between Israel and Palestinian National Authotity and with the return of Sirya on the international diplomacy scenario. The UFM, inaugurated on Sunday by the 43 Heads of State and Governement of the euromediterranean countries will be operative within the end of 2008, and the final structure will be decided in November. Sarkozy claimed: The biggest success of the summit is the partecipation of all the states, with the arab countries sitting beside Israel, and the second success is that we have approved a declaration unanimously. The Middle East Conflict, which has blocked the euro mediterranean partnership to the inactivity, since its birth has been again the protagonist of the summit of the 44 countries of the two shores The summit, coping more with political aspects of UFM than the organizational ones, left out some points, such as the UFM secretary seat, with the candidates of Tunisia, Malta, Cyprus and Morocco. It is common opinion that the secretary should have its seat on the southern shore of Mediterranean, Silvio Berlusconi declared but the Foreign Ministry of Spain Miguel Moratinos, immediately replicated that Barcelona has all the necessary requirements. The new Union will have two presidents: France until dicember (followed by the next guide of EU) and Egypt, in charge for two years. From the final declaration we can read: it is a partnership based on concrete projects, which will be pursued as soon as the funds will be available, two are related to environmet: depollution of Mediterranean within the 2020, a programm already existent but stranded because of lack of fundings, and the great plan to cover with solar panels the Maghreb deserts. A common civil protection will be pursued to respond to any emergency (natual disasters, oil tanker founderings, illegal immigrants' boats) and the creation of the highways of the sea will be launched, so that the ports of both the two shores will be linked. The next issue to be faced will be the finding of foundings, but Sarkozy ensures that it is not a problem anymore, now that we have committed ourselves to give stability to the region. The
international donors (World Bank, Bei and African Bank) will be supported by community foundings. Euromediterranean countries hope that the number of industries interested in investing in the southern regions, can increase, especially now that EU have its own specific collocation, based in the solidarity between the two shores and dedicated to peace. MARSEILLE SUMMIT ON NOVEMBER 3 RD -4 TH, On November 3 rd -4 th, Foreign Ministers of the UFM countries met in Marseille. Among the main decisions, there is the one to establish a technical secretariat whose seat will be in Barcelona. In the final declaration, herein reported integrally, we have identified the most relevant points on which an intense activity of cooperation will be launched: Political and security dialogue maritime safety enery transport agricolture urban development environment information society tourism economic dialogue and industrial cooperation Social, human and cultural cooperation Health Justice and Law Strengthening the role of women in society The Ministers stress the need to promote the implementation of concrete action at local and regional level. In this respect, they commend the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities that was held on 22 and 23 June 2008 in Marseille.They also duly take note of the Committee of Regions opinion issued on 9 October 2008 and the proposal to create a Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly. The Ministers mandate the Senior Officials to consider the possibility of the involvement of the EMRLA ( ARLEM ) once it is established in the Partnership.* ( Miss Giulia Giordano drafted this section) Reference for the Secretariat Francesco Sammaritano
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