Although the Barcelona Conference gave Mediterranean policy new impetus by establishing the Euro-Mediterranean partnership between the European Union and twelve Mediterranean countries, the actual achievements have proved rather disappointing. The main reason lies in the fact that the European Union and the Member States neglect North-South relations! This contrasts with the attention and financial aid devoted to the CEECs. Far be it from me to suggest abandoning aid and support to Eastern European countries, but it is clear that we should rapidly correct this imbalance. The European Union must start facing South! The Mediterranean is a sea internal to the European Union. So it is strategically important to the stability of our continent! It would be a sign of irresponsibility if we did not take account of the needs and expectations of the Mediterranean countries. The lack of progress constitutes a factor for potential crisis in this very sensitive area. In both political and economic terms, the European Union must invest more and better in the Mediterranean area! It undertook to do so by signing the Barcelona Declaration, because the Euro-Mediterranean partnership was made up of three sections, a political and security section, an economic and financial section and a social, cultural and human section. It has to be acknowledged that the first section has not progressed much and political dialogue has remained virtually a dead letter. So we must relaunch that dialogue. The political changes that have occurred in several countries of the region represent an unprecedented opportunity although there are still difficulties. The Charter for Peace and Stability, for which guidelines were drawn up in Stuttgart last year, may constitute a good way of giving a new fillip to this political dialogue. But it will remain a declaration of intent unless there is commitment from the Mediterranean partners and the European Union to meet regularly around the negotiating table. The effort has been focused on the economic section, where progress has been made, mainly thanks to the MEDA programme, the partnership’s principle financial instrument. This programme has facilitated the funding of bilateral action by the EU/Mediterranean partners. But it has virtually chosen to overlook interregional cooperation. That is an area which must be developed. Creating regional integration would guarantee the economic prosperity of this area, strengthening political stability and ensuring social development. Improvements in living conditions would make it possible to contain the fundamentalist trends for which poverty is the ideal breeding ground. Another consequence would be to reduce the pressure of migration. In conclusion, the European Union must do everything possible to encourage the development of that regional integration which, in the long term, will maintain privileged links, still to be defined, with the European Union. I can very well imagine that this model could also be transposed to the East to create regional integration around Russia. I know such aspirations may seem ambitious, but they do at least represent a global and long-term vision for this policy, which is perhaps what is lacking at the present time. That is, of course, what I said during the main debate.

Political group: PSE