Transcript EU Neighbourhood – Southern Mediterranean

EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
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 (Barcelona
Process), a wide framework of political, economic
and social relations between the Member States of
the European Union and Partners of the Southern
Mediterranean.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership comprises the
EU member states and 10 Mediterranean Partners,
namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and
Turkey. Libya has observer status since 1999.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
The Euro-Mediterranean partners established the
three main objectives of the Partnership:
1. The definition of a common area of peace and
stability through the reinforcement of political and
security dialogue (Political and Security Chapter).
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
2. 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).
3. 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).
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Although the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership has three
declared objectives, many observers, like Rana Izci, note
that it “focuses for the most part on trade liberalization with
the target of gradual establishment of a free trade area by
2010.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Neither the environment nor sustainable development have
a separate chapter; and there is still no special and stronger
emphasis on them especially under the third pillar of the
partnership. Both areas are still dealt with within the
economic and financial development chapter as one of the
priorities for regional economic integration.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
The 2002 Declaration by non-governmental organizations
active in the Mediterranean for the Johannesburg World
Summit on Sustainable Development, claimed that the
region is an example of unequal trade relations that benefit
the developed countries and leave developing countries
behind.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Presidency Project
Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society in Malta,
Cyprus and Slovenia to engage effectively in dialogue with
the European Institutions over Sustainable Livelihoods in
the Mediterranean and the Barcelona Process.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Identified Need
There is a clear gap between the rhetoric of Policy
Makers/European Institutions regarding the
Barcelona Process and the economic, social and
environmental reality on the ground as experienced
by grassroots civil society organisations of the
Southern Mediterranean.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Identified Need
The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership itself has
recognised the essential contribution that civil
society can make to the development process and
has stressed the importance of exchanges between
civil societies.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Main Aim
The principal objective of the project is to engage
Civil Society in Malta, Slovenia and Cyprus in a
European Dialogue about the future of the EuroMed Region and influence an effective EU
development policy.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Main Aim
The project partners intend to create an action
plan, based on the concerns of their partners in the
South, to advocate for progress in the Barcelona
Process that has a real impact on Poverty
Eradication and that contributes to sustainable
livelihoods at the local grassroots level.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Main Aim
the objective of this project is to explicate the
ownership of CSOs in the Southern Mediterranean
of what constitutes sustainable livelihoods in their
regions and nations, and build/strengthen the
capacity of Malta, Cyprus and Slovenia to advocate
for these concerns to be usefully employed by the
European Institutions in any ongoing and future
evaluations of the process and in any new
negotiations related to the process.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Positive points of the Barcelona process
●
Projects realised as part of the MEDA programme
●
The Anna Lindh Foundation for Intercultural dialogue
●
The agreement on water, environment and energy
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Positive points of the Barcelona process
●
The “euromediteranean” parliament
●
Encouraging administrative reform.
●
Help in Judicial upgrading strategy.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Positive points of the Barcelona process
●
Support given for fiscal reform and public finance
management.
●
Help in economic and political reform.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Negative points of the Barcelona process
●
Development gap between “the two shores/bank
countries” of the Mediterranean not taken into account
●
Gap between the goals and the means implemented - for
instance MEDA used up 1.5 billion € againsted the 2.3
billion € planned
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Negative points of the Barcelona process
●
●
Lack of Euromed bank institutions
Lack of commitment of the civil society in the setting up
of a genuine partnership between both banks/shores of
the Mediterranean
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Negative points of the Barcelona process
●
Considering southern countries and especially
Maghreb countries as a hot suburb of a “prosperous
metropole”.
●
no genuine investment in peace efforts – with particular
reference to the conflict between the Israelis and the
Palestinians.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Negative points of the Barcelona process
●
Lack of an overall reform strategy for the public sector
●
The Agricultural sector (and fisheries).
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Experiments that provide a useful pathway
of empowerment
●
●
MEDA projects
5 plus summits
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Experiments that provide a useful pathway
of empowerment
●
Projects involving empowerment of women.
Better opportunities for job creation for women and the
less skilled workers. ( in some countries e.g. Jordan
women comprise about just over 12% of total work
force.)
●
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Experiments that provide a useful pathway
of empowerment
●
Awareness campaigns.
●
Training opportunities about empowerment.
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Basket of indicators
●
Income per capita
●
Investment rate towards the south of the
Mediterranean as compared to Europe
●
Number of Euro-Mediterranean bank institutions
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Basket of indicators
●
Demographic indicators (birth, life expectancy, etc.)
●
Social indicators ( education/schooling, religion,
unemployment)
●
GNI
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Basket of indicators
●
Degree of civil society organisation
●
Number of spaces for dialogue and exchange
●
Governance and Civil Society
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Basket of indicators
●
Poverty Reduction
●
Youth Unemployment
●
Security and conflict likelihood
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Basket of indicators
●
Structural Reform
●
Economic Cooperation
●
Cooperation on Technical Regulations and Standards
EU Neighbourhood –
Southern Mediterranean
Fair trade, with its holistic approach to some of the
biggest problems that the world is facing today, is one of
the results of this positive vibe among local communities
and groups of people in the South and in the North. It is
in this context that one can imagine a Mediterranean
region in which people promote respect for the human
being and for the environment through trade.