Euro-Med MPs propose special summit

Malta is taking part in the celebrations being organised by the European Union to mark the 10th anniversary of the Euro-Med process, known also as the Barcelona process.

MPs David Agius and George Vella, members of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) on Monday participated in the extraordinary session of the assembly gathered in Rabat, Morocco.

The session was opened by European Parliament president Josep Borrell, as current chair of EMPA, together with Abdelwahad Radi, Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives, who hosted the extraordinary session.

The Parliamentary Assembly discussed and drew up recommendations for consideration by the Euro Med heads of government meeting for a special summit next week in Barcelona.

Exactly 10 years ago the EU member states and Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey agreed in Barcelona to set up a Euro-Mediterranean process, consisting of a political, economic and financial partnership and a partnership in social, cultural and human affairs.

An essential feature of the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership has been the negotiation of Euro-Mediterranean association agreements to replace the 1970s cooperation agreements.

Last month the European Parliament adopted a resolution saying that "even if the (Euro-Mediterranean) Partnership has not as yet produced the expected benefits and has not contributed to the lowering of tensions in the area to its full potential, the Barcelona Process continues to be the appropriate framework for Mediterranean policy, in which changes are needed to obtain better results".

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) is the parliamentary institution of the Barcelona Process. The Parliamentary Assembly is composed of 120 European MPs (75 from the EU national parliaments and 45 from the European Parliament) and 120 MPs from the national parliaments of the EU's Mediterranean partner countries.