In this context, the Mediterranean can be seen as a permeable filter between different concentrations, different systems, where economic and cultural divergences stimulate a natural osmotic flow. Managing this flow and reducing discrepancies are the challenges ahead of us all. Many also highlight the cultural divides that exist between mainland European culture and Arab and North African attitudes and customs. I tend to respect differences in an age where the process of globalisation threatens to create an unprecedented degree of cultural uniformity and conformism. There are, however, differences in political culture.
Democracy is a delicate plant that needs to be constantly taken care of.
Some are in a position to impart their hard-earned experiences in institution building and efforts have to be aimed towards channeling assistance in positive directions. Capping all this, multiethnic and multicultural societies are rapidly emerging in a number of European metropolis. Low fertility rates among erstwhile homogenous European nations are necessitating an immigration flow of people from poorer regions, especially from Eastern Europe and the Southern Mediterranean. Further integration seems inevitable. Dealing with the tensions that arise when societies shift their economic, social, cultural and ethnic orders will be the challenges of the decades to come.