Euro-Med process must go on - Frendo

Current uncertainties within Europe over the EU treaty's fate risk distracting the Union's attention away from critical external issues, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo warned on Friday.

"It is important that the European Union does not pass through a period in which all it does is contemplate its own navel. It needs to continue to function vigorously and with determination, not least with regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership," he stated.

Dr Frendo was making an unscripted off-the-record speech at the opening of the 18th Euromed Diplomats' Training Seminar in St Julian's, organised by the University's Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies and the European Commission. The Sunday Times received the minister's authorisation to publish selected quotations.

"Developments in the Mediterranean over the next ten years remain the EU's greatest challenge and are crucial to security and stability", Dr Frendo told the seminar. "The need for EU and the Mediterranean to continue to engage on a whole range of issues has never been greater. There is also the need to clarify present confusion about the relationship between the Partnership and the European Neighbourhood Policy"

Dr Frendo represented Malta at last week's VII Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg, which assessed the Partnership's track record since its launch in 1995. In their consensus conclusions, the 35 ministers also laid the basis for major decisions on its future to be taken by the 10th anniverary summit which Spain hopes to convene in November.

"In Luxembourg it was clear that the South partner states are concerned at the pace of political reform, democratisation, the promotion of civil society and observance of human rights which the EU is asking of them," Dr Frendo emphasised.

"There is tension about the interface between internal affairs and public international law, for example on human rights issues. The countries are also concerned about the EU's interest in engaging in dialogue with religion-based civil society groups, of the moderate Islamic type. They fear that a process of democratisation which does not take into account national specificities could open the way to passing the baton to fundamentalist groups."

As regards the Treaty, Dr Frendo supported the completion of the ratification process, followed by stock taking. "The 'big bang' of enlargement has created understandable concerns among the public about the pace of change within the Union. At the Convention which drafted the European Constitution we were conscious of the difficulties of a simultaneous widening and deepening of the Union".

'Mixed picture'

The Barcelona VII conclusions, adopted by consensus for the first time (since 1995, conclusions have been those of the EU presidency only) described the results of its review of the Partnership "a mixed picture".

"The centrality of the Barcelona Process is a unanimously accepted principle, as shown by the strong attachment of all partners to this special relationship. While there are many positive achievements, much remains to be done in order to realise the full potential of the Barcelona Declaration (which) is far from being exhausted and sets the objectives for many years to come," the conclusions state.

Applauding the "enhanced climate of trust", ministers said that "based on the principle of co-ownership and differentiation, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) should reinforce existing forms of co-operation within the Euromed framework with the objective of offering Partners a stake in the EU internal market and the possibility to participate in EU programmes and policies on the basis of the fulfilment of jointly agreed priorities, reflecting shared values and joint policy objectives."

However, growth of official political and security co-operation "has been slower than hoped for", while the Partnership "has not had any direct effect on the major unresolved conflicts in the region". In addition, "it has not been possible to realise all of the economic objectives embodied in the Barcelona Declaration... progress in the (trade) liberalisation process has been slow in some important areas."

Ministers mandated senior officials to consider establishing agreed targets in ten fields of action, for submission to the proposed heads of government summit in November. The fields of action covered are: peace, security, stability, good governance, democracy, sustainable economic development and reform, education and socio-cultural exchanges, justice, migration and social integration.

They also supported "the successful conclusion of the drafting of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development" (by UNEP's Mediterranean Action Plan and due to be adopted in November by the 22 Barcelona Convention contracting parties) "as this will become an important vehicle for mainstreaming sustainable development throughout the partnership".

However, in advocating a major initiative for depollution of the Mediterranean Sea by 2020 no reference was made to wide-ranging programmes managed by the MAP and its Regional Action Centres on behalf of the contracting parties.

As for greater participation by civil society.ministers "noted" the recommendations of the Final Declaration of the 2005 Civil Forum (where four Maltese NGOs were represented) and "encouraged reaching an agreement on mechanisms to strengthen its presence in the partnership".