July 13, 2008 may well become an important date in the history of the Mediterranean. The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean was launched by 43 countries in Paris on Sunday, spearheaded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy just as France assumed the EU Presidency.
As the name implies, the initiative should see that the Barcelona Process is integrated into the Mediterranean concept.
Then a presidential candidate, Mr Sarkozy had first put forward the proposal for a Mediterranean Union during the election campaign last year. It is now evolving into a success. It should be recalled President Emeritus Guido de Marco was at the forefront of the development of such unions, proposing the concept as far back as 1995 when he was Foreign Affairs Minister. The advent of, the Mediterranean Union is greatly welcome.
The project's aim is to revive the existing Euro-Mediterranean partnership, known as the Barcelona Process, and will create a more equal dialogue between the wealthy EU and the poorer states that rim the Mediterranean.
Membership of the project is open to all states that border the Mediterranean, all EU members and some others too. They represent a total of nearly one billion people.
One of the main aims of the union is to work on a series of practical projects, with each member state free to work on a project if it chooses. The environment was high on the agenda of topics.
The de-pollution of the Mediterranean was an important topic and cleaning up the sea's waters and coastal areas, together with focusing on the water and waste sector were emphasised in this regard. Alternative energy was discussed, stressing the need to probe the feasibility of a Mediterranean solar plan to develop solar power as an energy source and supporting research and development into energy sources other than oil and gas.
When Lawrence Gonzi affirmed before the election that the environment will be one of the most important issues, he clearly intended it.
He is not only fulfilling those duties here in Malta but also at an international level. It is indeed satisfying to see how the Prime Minister is shouldering his responsibility holistically, both here and beyond our shores. Addressing the leaders in Paris, Dr Gonzi appealed to all Mediterranean neighbours to work in unison to tackle this important environmental hurdle, emphasising the need for the Mediterranean rim countries to tackle with urgency the prevailing climate change challenges. He pointed out how our region can be a testing ground for new technologies that will help us switch to a low-carbon future while improving our economic well-being. Cooperation with Mediterranean partners was also mentioned with regard to the development of offshore wind facilities.
Forming part of the Temporary Committee on Climate Change within the European Parliament, I am realising that the way in which we go about climate change as a people is changing for the better. We are on the right track, whether on a local, European or Mediterranean level to achieve the much-needed changes to constrain and eventually eradicate climate change. The new certainty is that, emboldened by new approaches of leaders like Dr Gonzi and others around the globe, the issue of climate change is becoming ever more attainable.
There were also developments on the Turkey-EU matter. Once again, as I form part of the delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee within the European Union, I was pleased to note the unfolding of a new chapter in this regard. The French President, hosting Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reaffirmed on Sunday that Turkey's bid to become a member of the European Union will continue unhindered under his country's Presidency of the 27-nation bloc. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey would play an active role in France's Mediterranean initiative.
President Sarkozy said that France would continue to work to ensure the accession talks will continue at a normal pace. Mr Erdogan also invited Mr Sarkozy to visit Turkey to help improve dialogue between Ankara and the EU.
The summit was also dominated by the presence around one table of the main protagonists of the Middle East peace process including Israel, Syria and the Palestinian Authority. In a culture in which the default position is to blame somebody else, this summit was a breath of fresh air as Middle East leaders integrated. Amid fresh hopes for a peace deal in the Middle East, the EU and the countries of the Mediterranean epitomised cooperation during this landmark summit in Paris.
The summit opened in an atmosphere of optimism following a meeting between Ehoud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, and Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas. "We have never been so close to an agreement," said the Israeli leader, who is also engaged in indirect talks with Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian leader.
Common challenges that can be addressed through the BP:UfM are: economic and social development; world food security crisis, degradation of the environment; promoting sustainable development; energy; and migration. These challenges together with a conscious attempt to bring about peace and promoting serious dialogue between cultures, point towards the destiny of a truly successful fraternity between Europe and the Mediterranean as a whole.
Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.
david.casa@europarl.europa.eu, www.davidcasa.eu