The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) plans to draw up a proper charter with its vision for a stable and prosperous Mediterranean based on common values and shared aspirations, sustaining and promoting peace, freedom and sustainable development.
During yesterday's plenary session, members discussed the strategic objectives of the Parliamentary Assembly which include fostering political will, the enhancement of economic development and the sharing of values and cultures predominant throughout the Mediterranean region.
The document, which lays out PAM's vision and challenges, states that the Assembly is uniquely placed to highlight and address in a concrete way common concerns of member states in the Mediterranean region by providing a democratic platform for political dialogue and the development of cultural, economic, social and human exchanges and the promotion of good governance.
The vision statement mentions how the Assembly will be fully involved in the process of addressing regional challenges such as political differences and disputes. Moreover, it will also be involved in tackling the effects of globalisation, international and internal migration, terrorism, money laundering, organised crime, environmental degradation and human trafficking. These are just a few of the problems countries in the region are facing and these, the document admits, cannot be dealt with in isolation.
The document discussed yesterday comprises a five-year plan, between 2008 and 2012, for the Assembly's vision to be transformed into action and tangible results with the final aim of making PAM a centre of excellence on Mediterranean parliamentary affairs with a vision of proving a common platform for dialogue in its areas of competence and serve as a mechanism to facilitate the rationalisation of initiatives for the benefit of all its members.
The strategic and action plans also includes an idea of establishing close contacts with other international parliamentary organisations such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Nato Parliamentary Assembly and that of the OSCE, the Maghreb Consultative Council and the Arab Inter Parliamentary Union, among others. It mentions the creation of a new user-friendly PAM website.
Yesterday's session was addressed by Italian lawyer Sergio Piazzi, the secretary general of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. He gave a presentation of the work of the PAM secretariat from a purely administrative point of view and stressed that the secretariat would be following up the decisions taken by the PAM member states during plenary sessions. The secretariat will be based at Palazzo Spinola, in St Julians.
He said a look at past plenary sessions reveals that there seems to have been no follow-up on the decisions taken.
PAM's three-day meeting ends today.