NoC313/54 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
OpiniononEconomicCooperationwiththeMaghrebCountries
(92/C313/18
On27September1990theEconomicandSocialCommittee,actingunderthefourthparagraph
ofArticle20ofitsRulesofProcedure,decidedtodrawupanOpiniononEconomic
CooperationwiththeMaghrebCountries.
TheSectionforExternalRelations,TradeandDevelopmentPolicy,whichwasresponsible
forpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon11September
1992.(Rapporteur :MrAmato).
Atits299thPlenarySession(meetingof24September1992)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
INTRODUCTION CommissionadoptedaCommunication totheCouncil
andtheEuropeanParliamentonTheFutureof
RelationsBetweentheCommunityandtheMaghreb.
TheCommission hasforwardedtheCommunication
officiallytotheCommittee,forinformation .
TheCommitteeispleasedthatforthefirsttimeithas
received,albeitonlyforinformation,aCommission
documentontheCommunity'sexternalrelations.This
showsthattheimportantimpactoftheserelations
onCommunityeconomicandsocialsectorshasbeen
understood .TheCommitteeis,however,disappointed
tonotethattheCouncildidnotfeelitnecessaryto
consultitonthisdocumentconcerningasubjectwhich
ithasfrequentlydiscussedandtakenup.ThefirstquestiontobeaskediswhytheCommittee,
whichhasissuedanumberofOwn-initiative Opinions
onMediterranean policyinrecentyears,shouldfeelit
necessarytodrawupanOpiniononcooperationwith
theMaghrebcountries.
Therearetworeasons.Firstly,theMaghreb—by
virtueofitsgeographicalproximity,itscloseeconomic,
commercial ,historicalandculturaltiesandthefact
thatitisthesourceofsomanymigrantstotheCom­
munity—couldwellbethemostappropriatetest­
bedfortheRenewedMediterranean Policywhichthe
Committeehasbeenurgingforthelastfewyears.
Secondly,aprocessofregionalintegrationisbeing
implemented intheMaghrebthroughtheArab
MaghrebUnion(AMU).Itisthereforepossibletomove
beyondthecurrentbilateralagreementsandtryout
advancedformsofregionalcooperation ,asafirststep
towardsthecomprehensive Convention (orTreaty)
withallMediterranean Non-Member Countries
(MNC)proposedbytheCommitteeandtheEuropean
Parliament .On15June,afterapreliminarydiscussion,theCouncil
ofMinistersbroadlyacceptedtheCommunication .
Lastly,theConclusionsoftheLisbonEuropeanCouncil
of26-27June1992emphasizedtheimportanceofMedi­
terraneanpolicy,andexaminedEC-Maghrebrelations
insomedepthintwoseparateannexes.
TheEuropeanCounciladoptedadeclarationwhich
specificallyaddressedEuro-Maghreb relationsandsig­
nalledthetranslationintopolicyoftheCommission
Communication .TheneedforaparticularfocusontheMaghrebhas
beenhighlightedbyanumberofinitiativestakenby
Communityinstitutionsinrecentmonths.
WewouldbeginbymentioningtheFirstMeetingof
Representatives ofSocialandEconomicInterestGroups
oftheCountriesoftheArabMaghrebUnion(AMU)
andtheEC,sponsoredbytheEconomicandSocial
CommitteeandheldinBrusselsfrom6to8April.ThereportoftheMinistersforForeignAffairson
thedevelopmentoftheCommonForeignandSecurity
Policy,adoptedbytheLisbonEuropeanCounciland
appendedtoitsConclusions,containsasectiononthe
Maghreb.Themeeting,whichdiscussedthemainEuro-Maghreb
issuesandwaswidelyreportedintheEuropeanand
NorthAfricanpress,evaluatedthecurrentsituation
andmadeanumberofrecommendations whichhave
beenlargelytakenonboardbytheCommissionand,
subsequently ,theEuropeanCouncil.On30ApriltheThepresentOpiniononthespecificissuesofrelations
withtheMaghrebtakesasitsstartingpointtheearlier
Opinionsandinparticularthegeneralguidelinesthey

NoC313/55 30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
1.1.2.North-SouthrelationsintheWesternMediter­
raneanaremarkedbyheavytradedependenceand
increasinglyunequaldevelopment .
1.1.3.Theeconomicandsocialupheavalswhichare
throwingupchallengestotheMaghrebandEurope
haveaggravatedthisgeneraldisparitybetweenthetwo
adjoiningareasofproduction,tradeandculture.
1.1.4.Hencetheurgentneedtoalleviateandpro­
gressivelyredresstheeconomicimbalancesbetweenthe
ECandtheMaghreb,andthelatter'sdependence,while
recognizingthatthisisanobjectivewhichcannotbe
achievedovernightandmustbeseeninthecontextof
afluidinternationalandEuro-Mediterranean situation.setout,namelytheconstructionofaEuro-Mediterrane ­
anstrategicarea,co-development policy,anoverall
Mediterranean approach,andregionalcooperation .It
isworthpointingoutthat,asinthecaseoftheabove­
mentionedEC-AMUmeeting,theseguidelines,are
increasinglycroppingupintheanalysesandproposals
oftheCommunityinstitutions,MemberStates,MNCs,
academiccirclesandeconomicandsocialinterest
groups.
Theanalyses,guidelinesandgeneralproposalsalready
putforwardbytheCommitteewererefinedbythe
meetinginthelightofeventsontheinternationalscene
andtheprogressmadeinCommunityintegration .
Despitetheobviousdivergencesofviewpointand
emphasis,thedialoguewiththeMaghrebpartnersat
thismeetingproducedasolidgroundworkofassess­
mentsandgeneralguidelineswhichissubstantially
reflectedintheCommission Communication .
ThefirstpartofthepresentOpinionsummarizesthese
assessmentsandguidelines.
Thesecondpartdealswiththeobjectives,contentand
instrumentsoftheco-development policywhichthe
Committeeconsidersshouldbethehallmarkofanew
phaseinEuro-Maghreb relations.
TheCommissionandEuropeanCouncildocuments
referredtoearlierarealsoassessedandaccountistaken
ofdevelopmentsconcerningtheRenewedMediterrane­
anPolicysincethelastOpinionwasadoptedon
27November1991.1.2.Thedangerofmarginalization
1.2.1.Recentdevelopmentsaroundtheworld,and
inparticularinEurope,poseadditionalchallengesto
thedevelopmentoftheMaghrebcountries.
1.2.2.Thefirstoftheseisclearlythecompletionof
theSingleEuropeanMarket.OurMaghrebpartners
havevoicedparticularconcernthatmeasurestolib­
eralizetradewithintheCommunity (productstandards,
etc.)maymakeitincreasinglydifficulttoplace
MaghrebproductsontheCommunitymarket.
1.2.3.IntheCommittee'sview,however,thegreatest
causesforconcernlieelsewhere.TheSingleMarket
andEconomicandMonetaryUnionemergingfrom
Maastrichtcouldcontributetotheconsolidation ofthe
currenteconomicscenario,inparticulartheinter­
nationalization oftheworldeconomy.Ifthisprocess
continuesonitspresentlines,ie.remainsmainlycon­
finedtohi-techandadvancedsectorssothatitaffects
onlythemoredevelopedpartsoftheworldeconomy
(UnitedStates,Japan,WesternEurope),itwillcertainly
haveharmfuleffectsonthosepartsoftheworld,like
theMaghreb,beingleftonthesidelines:integration
intothisprocesswillnotbeeasy.I.THEBASICASSESSMENT ANDGENERAL
GUIDELINES CONFIRMED BYTHEFIRST
MEETINGOFEC-AMUSOCIALPARTNERS
1.TheEuro-Mediterranean outlook:groundsforcon­
cern
1.1.Imbalancesanddependentstatus1.2.3.1.Increasinglyfiercecompetitionbetweenthe
world'sthreemaineconomicpowersistriggeringa
realignmentoftheinternationaldivisionoflabour
whichismarginalizingtheSouthstillfurther.
1.1.1.Therearedeep-rooted,structuraldisparities
betweentheMaghreb,togetherwithotherareasof
theMediterranean ,andtheEuropeanCommunityin
respectofdemographicgrowth(bothabsoluteandin
relationtoeconomicgrowth),percapitaproduction
andincome,abilitytotrainandemploythelocalpopu­
lation,andlevelsoftrade.Thesedisparitiesaretending
tobecomemorepronounced .1.2.4.ThestrengtheningoftheEuropeaneconomy,
inthewakeofthecreationoftheEuropeanEconomic
Area(EC+EFTA),anditspotentialextensionto
CentralandEasternEurope,islikelytoaccentuate
thisaspectofeconomicinternationalization .Notonly
becauseitwillaccentuatethetriangularnatureofinter­
nationaldevelopment (withCentralandEasternEuro­

NoC313/56 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
taldeterioration,socialandpoliticalunrestandthe
existingconflictsaroundtheMediterranean .Butthey
couldreachunimaginableproportions .peannationsbeingdestinedtoplaythesameroleas
Mexicodoesvis-a-vistheUnitedStates),butalso
becausethenewpossibilitiesopentocompanieswill
leadthemtopreferCentralandEasternEuropefor
investmentandrelocation.Thechangesthistriggersin
theinternational divisionoflabourwillbeevenmore
disorderlythanthoseoccurringatpresent,becausethey
willnotbeunderpinnedbycommonrules,particularly
inthesocialsphere.1.3.Challenges,tensionsandconflictsintheMediter­
raneanandtheMaghreb
1.3.1.Whilecounteringthemarginalization ofthe
Mediterranean basinisthefirstpreconditionforsuc­
cessfullymeetingthechallenges,tensionsandconflicts,
itisalsoessentialtounderstandtheircharacter,why
theyexist,andhowtheyaredeveloping.1.2.5.Suchascenariowouldbehighlyprejudicial
fortheentireMediterranean area,bothNorthand
South.Thenon-ECMediterranean countries,the
Maghrebinparticular,wouldbeunderseriousthreat
ofmarginalization ,orevenoutrightexclusionfromthe
internationaleconomicsystem.Thestructuralimbal­
ancesbetweentheCommunity'scentreanditsperiph­
erywillbeaccentuatedifimplementation ofaneffective
cohesionpolicycontinuestobedelayed.SouthernEuro­
pewillthenfacetheprospectofsecond-classintegration
anditsperipheralregionsmightbemarginalized .
1.2.6.Suchmarginalization oftheMediterranean
basinmustberesolutelycombatedintheinterestsof
theMediterranean non-member countries—firstand
foremosttheMaghreb—andofEurope.1.3.2.ThedemographicchallengefacingEurope,the
MaghrebandtheotherMediterranean countriesisof
primaryimportance .Discussionofthedemographic
issuetendstofocusontheextraordinarily highrateof
populationgrowth(approximately 3%intheAMU
countries)andonpredictionsofanoutrightpopulation
explosionoverthecomingdecades.Thesolutionspro­
posedthereforefocusonbirthcontrol.However,the
mostpressingproblemincomingyearswillbethe
generationbornoverthelast20years.Itisestimated
thatintheMaghrebonethirdofthisyoungergener­
ationwillneverbeabletofindemployment .Ifthis
proportionisnottogrow,anannualeconomicgrowth
rateof9%willbenecessary.Atthemomentthisseems
optimistic,toputitmildly. 1.2.7.Firstly,becauseitwouldhaveadversereper­
cussionsonanemploymentmarketwhichnowtran­
scendsnationalboundaries.Indeed,afurtherworsening
oftheMNCandMaghrebtradedeficit,externaldebt,
inflationandunemployment willinevitablytriggera
newandunprecedented waveofmigrationtowards
Europewhichcannotbefullystemmedbybureaucratic
barriersorotherdeterrentmeasures.1.3.3.NewpoliticaltensionshavearisenintheMedi­
terraneanbasin,parallelwithandcloselylinkedto
socialstrains.Whilenationalismisrampantinother
partsoftheregion,theMaghrebhasbeenheavily
infusedwithareligiousfundamentalism whichfeeds
latentenmity,originatinginthecontinuinginequalities
betweenthetwosidesoftheMediterranean ,anda
numberoflong-standing regionalconflicts,beginning
withtheIsraeli-Palestinian andIsraeli-Arabconfron­
tations.Fundamentalism isemergingasthemostpotent
challengefacingthecountriesofnotonlytheMaghreb,
butalsoEurope.Theunderlyingmotives—economic
andsocialbut,aboveall,cultural—forthefundamen­
talistprotestspointtotheinadequacy,ifnottotal
failure,ofbothnationalpoliciesandtherelationship
whichEuropehaspursuedtodatewiththeMaghreb
andtheArabworld.1.2.8.Thismigrationwouldcertainlynotprovidea
safety-valvefortheMaghreb.Itwouldoccuratatime
whentheEuropeanemploymentmarketisthrowninto
disarraybythenewinternationaldivisionoflabour
andmigrationfromEasternEurope(onascaleas
yethardtopredict),andmarkedbynewcompetition
betweenworkers.
1.2.9.EuropecannotaffordtoallowtheMediter­
raneanbasintobemarginalized ,sincetheensuing
economicdeclinetherecouldbedamagingtoEurope
ontheenvironmental ,politicalandsecurityfronts,as
wellaseconomically (energysupplies,forexample)and
socially.Thesignsarealreadyapparentinenvironmen­1.3.4.IntheMaghreb,Algeriaistheacid-testofthis
confrontation withfundamentalism .Thetragicturn
takenbytheAlgeriancrisisclearlyshowsthatthebattle
willonlybewonif—evenmoreimportantthanthe
establishmentofrulesforaformaldemocracy—there

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/57
isacleanbreakwiththepoliciesofthepreviousregime,
intermsbothofmoralityandofaresponsetothemost
pressingsocialproblems.reb—isundeniablyaddingitscontributionviahuge
urbansprawls,coastalcongestionandunregulated
tourism.
1.3.9.Thisbackgroundofoldandnewchallenges,of
risingsocialandpoliticaltension,andofopenconflict,
affectsinterestscommontotheCommunity,theMagh­
reb,andtheotherMediterranean countries.Nosol­
utionwillbepossible,however,iftheprocessofmar­
ginalizationcpntinuesintheregion.Environmental ,
demographic,energy,food,politicalandsecurityprob­
lemsintheMediterranean demandajointEC-Maghreb
response,withintheframeworkofoverallMediterrane­
ancooperation .1.3.4.1.TheCommunitycannot,however,remain
onthesidelines.ResolutionoftheAlgeriancrisis(and
themannerinwhichitisachieved)isofcapitalimport­
ancefortheCommunity .TheCommunitymust
acknowledgethatitisinvolved,andaccepttheconse­
quences.Thereishowever,nosignofthisintheCom­
missionCommunication or,moreimportantly,inthe
EuropeanCouncil'sconclusions .
1.3.5.Disquietingsocialdisplaysofnarrow-minded­
nessandincomprehension areontheincreaseinEuro­
pe.Theseattitudesarerootedinfearofwhatisdifferent2.Asharedstrategicoutlook
andinignorance.Theoutwardsignsofracialintoler­
anceandxenophobia,whichareunfortunatelyonthe
increase,areonlythetipoftheiceberg.
2.1.ConstructingaEuro-Mediterranean strategicarea
1.3.6.ThementalattitudesintheMediterranean
basin,intheMaghreb,andinEurope,arearealand
immediatedangerforexistingandpotentialdemocracy.2.1.1.Oneimportantoutcomeofthemeetingof
AMU-ECsocialpartnerswasthejointrecognitionof
theimplicationsofthedramaticallychanginginter­
nationalscene,asdescribedinthepresentdocument.
Themostimportantoftheseimplicationsisthatthe
requisiteradicaloverhaulofEuro-Maghreb relations
mustfitintoawiderpictureofMediterranean cooper­
ation.Norcanitbeseparatedfromthenewlinksof
interdependence emergingthroughouttheEuro-Medit­
erraneanarea,includingEasternEurope.1.3.7.ThedemiseoftheColdWarchecksandbal­
anceshasheraldedaphaseofgreatpoliticalinstability
intheMediterranean basin,mosttragicallyrepresented
bytheGulfwarandthecivilstrifeinYugoslavia .The
Gulfwarhasleftthelong-standing conflictsofthe
regionunresolved :indeed,newlayersofconfrontation
havebeenadded.TheLibyancrisisisatime-bomb
whichthreatensthepeaceoftheMediterranean and
theCommunity'ssecurity.2.1.2.Themoststrikingfeatureoftheregionis
economic,socialandpoliticaldislocation :notonlyis
thisunhelpfulinresolvingoldconflicts,butitcontrib­
utestothedailyoutbreakofnewones.'Damage-limi­
tation'diplomacymustbereplacedbyanall-embracing
peaceoffensive,inwhich'GreaterEurope',theMediter­
raneanbasinandtheMiddleEastworktogetherfor
security,economicdevelopment ,growthandpeaceful
coexistence .1.3.7.1.BoththeLibyancrisisandtheWesternSaha­
ranissuedirectlyinvolvetheMaghreb.Theymust,of
course,besolvedwithinaUNcontext,butareof
immediateimportancetotheCommunitywhich,by
virtueofitsresponsibilities andinterests,mustplaya
primaryroleinseekingsolutionsbasedondialogueand
negotiation .
2.1.3.Acommoninitiativeofthiskindmustcom­
prisetheconstructionofaEuro-Mediterranean stra­
tegicareaofapolitical,security,economic,market,
socialandenvironmental nature,astheCommitteehas
beenurgingforyears. 1.3.8.Theenvironmentunquestionably presentsthe
mostunderestimated challenge.Pollutionisadisaster
progressivelyaffectingbothsidesoftheMediterranean .
ThebulkoftheblameliesontheCommunitysideand
onthedensityofoil-carryingtraffic(onethirdofthe
worldtotal),althoughtheSouth—includingtheMagh­2.1.4.Furthermore ,thefirstlessontobedrawnfrom
theGulfwarandotherconflictsintheEuro-Mediter­

NoC313/58 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
raneanzoneisthatdemocracy,developmentandsecur­
ityareinseparable .
2.1.5.Allthisenhancestheimportanceofthepro­
posal—alreadywelcomedbytheCommittee—fora
'Mediterranean Helsinki'i.e.aConferenceforSecurity
andCooperationintheMediterranean andtheMiddle
East(CSCM).ThevalueoftheCSCMwouldliein
lendingapolitical,economic,socialandculturaldimen­
siontothequestionofsecurity,whichwouldthereby
becomeauniversal,widerconcept,harnessingallthe
region'spoliticalandeconomicentitiesinacommon
cause.Aprilmeeting,co-development alsorequiresa
thorough-going reappraisalbytheMaghrebcountries.
2.2.4.1.Measurestopromotemutualhorizontal
complementarity ,regionalintegrationandinsertionin
theCommunityeconomyshouldhavepriorityover
exaggeratedexport-ledeconomicpoliciesandimport­
substitutionarrangements .
2.2.4.2.FortheMaghrebcountries,adoptingapol­
icyofco-development meansrethinkingeconomicand
productionoptionswithinacontextofmutualcompati­
bilityagreedwiththeCommunity .Butmostofall,it
involvesfacinguptotheneedforreforms,without
whichtheregionwillfaceeconomicandsocialdeterio­
ration,andincreasinglytroubledrelationswithEurope.
2.2.4.3.Itisnecessarytoupgradepublicinstitutions
andinstituteradicaleconomicandstructuralreforms
whichwillestablishafully-fledgedmarketsystem,
broadentheproductivebase,generateemploymentand
ensuresocialjustice.However,reformsfocusingon
thegrowthofdemocracy,politicalandtradeunion
freedoms,andrespectforhumanrights,arealsoneeded.
Similarly,theindissolublelinkbetweendevelopment
anddemocracymeansthattheMaghrebcountriesmust
injectastrongsocialelementintotheirpolicies,by
promotingfundamentalsocialrightsandinvolving
employers'andworkers'representatives inthevarious
stagesofeconomicmanagement .2.1.6.Ifthecreationofthisbroaderstrategicareais
notonceagaintofallintothetrapofthetriangular
developmentmodel,relationsbetweenthecentre(West­
ernEurope)andtheperipherymustbetransformed .
Europe-centred developmentshouldbereplacedby
multi-centreddevelopmentbasedonco-development ,
regionalcooperationandtheestablishmentofeconomi­
callyandpoliticallyintegratedsub-regionalareas,such
astheAMU.
2.2.Co-development policy
3.Inadequacyofcurrentcooperationagreements
2.2.1.Euro-Mediterranean co-development cannot
beattainedovernight.Aneconomicandsocialco­
developmentpolicywithaEuro-Mediterranean dimen­
sioncouldneverthelessbelaunchedimmediatelybythe
CommunityandtheMaghrebcountries.
2.2.2.Thebasicthinkingbehindthispolicyisthat
ifthetwounequallydevelopedeconomiesaretogrow,
thenatureofrelationsbetweenthetwogroupsof
countriesmustbetransformedandmovebeyondaid­
basedrelationsandthetypeoftraderelationspractised
todate.ButonbothsidesoftheMediterranean thisalso
involvesquestioningapproaches,policiesandconduct
incompatiblewiththeobjectivesofcorrectingimbal­
ancesanddependentrelationships ,andofbuildinga
moreeconomically ,sociallyandpoliticallycohesive
Euro-Mediterranean area.3.1.ThemeetingofAMU-ECsocialpartnershigh­
lightedtheinadequacyofcurrentEC-Maghrebcooper­
ationprocedures,measuredagainstthegravityofthe
problemsandthescaleoftheabove-mentioned strategic
aims.
3.2.TheEconomicandSocialCommitteehasrepeat­
edlyexpresseditsviewsontheefficacityoftheEC­
MaghrebCooperationAgreements(*).Theseviewsare
summarizedbelow.
3.2.1.Thefifteen-year-old trackrecordofEC/Magh­
rebcooperationagreementsshowsthatneitherthe
openingoftheCommunitymarkettoMaghrebgoods
achievedtodatenorlow-levelfinancialcooperationare
capableofreducingtheimbalances,letalonefostering
economicandsocialdevelopmentintheMaghreb.
3.2.2.Althoughthereisnodirectcausallinkbetween
ECMediterranean policyandthecurrentstateofthe
Maghrebeconomies—anddespitethepositiveaspects2.2.3.AstheCommitteehasrepeatedlypointedout,
thismeansthatinplanningitspoliciestheCommunity
musttakeparticularaccountofthespecialinterestsof
theMaghrebcountriesandmakecorresponding rec­
ommendations totheMemberStates.
f1)OJNoC221,26.3.1990;OJNoC168,10.7.1990;OJNo
C40,17.2.1992. 2.2.4.Aswasfullyrecognizedbyourpartnersatthe

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/59
ofcertainECactivities—thereisnogettingawayfrom
thefactthattherelationsestablishedtodatearenotof
anaturetogenerategreatertradeortoachievethe
otherobjectivesofthe1976cooperationagreements .4.6.Whatismissingfromtheconceptofpartnership
proposedbytheCommission ,incontrastwithco­
development ,ismentionoftheneedfortheCommunity
andtheMemberStatestoslanttheirpoliciesmore
towardsfurtheringthedevelopmentoftheMaghreb
andotherMediterranean countries.
II.TOWARDS ANEWPHASE
INEURO-MAGHREB RELATIONS
4.7.TheCommitteefullyendorsestheCommuni­
cation'saimoffirmlyanchoringtheMaghrebtoEuro­
pe.ThisviewemergedclearlyatthemeetingofAMU
andECeconomicandsocialinterestgroups,figures
prominentlyintheargumentsagainstmarginalization
setoutabove(1.2),andisimplicitinthe'co-develop­
ment'longadvocatedbytheCommittee .4.TheCommissionCommunication onTheFutureof
RelationsBetweentheCommunityandthe
Maghreb
4.1.Likethemeetingofsocialpartners,theCom­
municationfromtheCommission—whoseassessment
ofthecurrentcooperationagreementsdoesnotdiffer
significantlyfromthatoftheCommittee—acknowl­
edgestheneedtorecastEuro-Maghreb relations.4.8.However,theCommunication failstoplacethis
objectiveinthenecessarilybroadercontextofthestra­
tegicEuro-Mediterranean area.Indeed,theoverall
Mediterranean approachisvirtuallyignoredthrough­
outtheCommunication ,leavingroomformisunder­
standing.Thenegativereactionsalreadyvoicedby
Mashreqgovernmentsshowhowwrongthisis.4.1.1.Theanalysis,generalapproachandindividual
proposalsoftheCommunication representaquantum
jumpintheCommission'sthinking,andlaydownthe
basisforafreshstartinCommunityMediterranean
policy.
4.2.TheCommitteebroadlyendorsestheCommuni­
cation,butwouldmakethefollowingcomments .4.8.1.TheCommitteethereforestressesthatamore
bindingpolicyofEuro-Maghreb co-development isnot
inconsistentwithanoverallMediterranean approach:
onthecontrary,theonlywayofensuringthatthisco­
developmentpolicydoesnotbecomeadeadletteristo
treatitasanintegralpartoftheoverallMediterranean
approach.4.3.TheCommitteeispleasedtonotethattheCom­
missionhastakenonboardnumerousobservations and
proposalscontainedinrecentCommitteeOpinionson
Mediterranean policy.Whilethenewstrategic
approachdoesnotpreciselytallywiththatoftheCom­
mittee,itclearlycomesclose.
4.4.TheCommunication setsoutto'moveaway
fromtheideaofdevelopmentcooperationthathas
heldswayoverthepastfewdecades,totheideaof
partnership'—tobeappliedinallpossiblefields—'the
ultimateobjectivebeingtoestablishaEuro-Maghreb
economicarea'.4.9.TheglobalMediterranean approachisnotmen­
tionedinthereportonCommonForeignandSecurity
policyDevelopments ,adoptedbytheLisbonEuropean
Council.Itishardtoquarrelwiththeindividualobjec­
tivessetoutinthesectionontheMaghreb(regional
stability,dialogue,partnership,disarmamentandarms
control,supportforMaghrebregionalintegration,etc.)
andthesectionontheMiddleEast(supportforthe
MiddleEastpeaceconference,Europeanparticipation
inthepeaceprocess,persuadingIsraeltochangeits
settlementpolicyintheOccupiedTerritoriesandthe
Arabcountriestodroptheirtradeboycott,supportfor
regionalintegration,etc.).However,theabsenceofany
referencetoanoverallviewofpeaceandsecurity­
relatedissues,suchasthatembodiedintheCSCM
proposal,cannotbeoverlooked .4.5.ComparisonoftheCommission'scentralaim
ofpartnershipwiththeCommittee'sequallycentral
objectiveofco-development ,revealsthattheCom­
missionseespartnershipasmuchmorethanjusta
wayofimplementingco-development policy.Careful
examination oftheCommunication showsthat
althoughthispartnershipisnotexactlycoterminous
withco-development ,thedifferenceisnotgreat.

NoC313/60 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
5.Redefiningtheobjectives itybetweenthetwoareasshouldbeenhanced,with
effortsbeingconcentratedoncomplementarity within
ratherthanbetweendifferentsectors(e.g.fruitand
vegetables/cereals,oroilproducts/machinery).
5.1.RegionalintegrationoftheMaghrebcountries
5.2.2.Intra-industrial complementarity shouldbe
soughtinsofarasit:5.1.1.TheprimaryobjectiveofEC-Maghrebcooper­
ationshouldbeMaghrebregionalintegration .Cooper­
ationinitiativesshouldhaveasynergeticandcatalytic
effectoneconomicandmarketintegrationprocesses,as
wellasonlegislativeandadministrativeharmonization .—iscompatiblewithintra-Maghreb regionalinte­
gration,andactivelycontributestoit;
5.1.2.TheCommitteeispleasedtonotethatthese
points,whichwerehighlightedattheMeetingofAMU­
ECEconomicandSocialInterestGroups,figurein
almostthesametermsintheCommission Communi­
cation.—doesnotreplicateoldformsofdependencesuchas
thoseseenintextilessub-contracting .Tothisend,
verticalintegrationshouldbepursuedintheMagh­
rebatallstagesofthecreationofaddedvalue,
includingR&Dandmarketing.
5.1.2.1.TheCommitteealsoendorsestheindividual
suggestionsforCommunityactiontothisend:support
forthecreationofacustomsunion,technicalassistance
ineconomicintegrationprocesses,fundingforregional­
levelschemes,andtheestablishmentofaCommunity/
Maghrebdialogueatalllevelsandinallfields,with
theaimofexpandingopportunitiesforcooperation
betweentheMaghrebpartners.5.2.3.IndevelopingEuro-Maghreb complementarity
inthisway,particularattentionshouldbepaidto
complementary relationsbetweenMediterranean
countries—especiallybetweentheMaghrebandEC
Mediterranean regions—soastoendthecurrent
competitionbetweenthemincertainbranchesofpro­
duction.
5.1.3.TheCommunication overlooksonegeneral
pointwhichtheCommitteeconsidersessential:Maghr­
ebregionalintegrationshouldnotonlybefurtheredby
specificmeasures,butshouldbeacceptedasaprecon­
ditionandimplicitobjectiveofallcooperationactivi­
ties:inotherwordsastheprincipalyardstickforjudg­
ingthecoherenceofsuchaction.5.2.4.Theaimofdevelopingcomplementary Euro­
Maghrebrelationsisnotexplicitlymentionedinthe
Communication butisimplicitinitscallforanew
divisionoflabourbetweentheCommunityandthe
Maghreb.
5.1.4.Promotionofeconomicandmarketinte­
grationrequiresapoliticalmotoratregionallevel.In
thecaseoftheMaghreb,thisistheAMU,theonlyreal
institutionalized vectorofregionalintegrationinthe
Mediterranean zone.AstheCommissionsays,theAMU
'isthereforetobeencouraged'.5.2.4.1.TheCommitteenoteswithsatisfactionthat
theCommissionhasendorsedtheobjectiveofanew
intraregionaldivisionoflabour,andinparticularhas
takenonboardthereferenceinits1989Opiniontothe
needforin-depthstudyandsectoraldialogue.
5.1.5.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
proposaltopromote'acomprehensive surveyofthe
advantagesofintegrationandthecostofnon-inte­
gration',butwouldurgethatthissurveyshouldcover
notonlytheeconomicbutalsopoliticaland,inparticu­
lar,socialaspects.5.2.5.TheCommitteehopestheCommissionwill
drawtheappropriateconclusionsforCommunityand
MemberStatepolicy.Sectoralpolicieswillassumea
pivotalroleinjointestablishmentofanewdivisionof
labourandtheircompatibilitywiththisprocessmust
beensured.
5.2.Developingcomplementary relationsbetweenthe
ECandtheMaghreb
5.2.6.If,forexample,thecurrentagriculturalrivalry
betweentheMaghrebandtheCommunity'sMediter­
raneanregionsistobehalted,theCAPwillhaveto
playanactivepartindevelopingcomplementarities and5.2.1.TheobjectiveshouldbetotietheMaghrebin
withtheEuropeaneconomy,bygraduallyeliminating
existingformsofdependence .Existingcomplementar­

30.11.92 NoC313/61 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
synergiesbetweenSouthernEuropeanandMaghreb
agriculture,withinabroaderframeworkregulating
Euro-Mediterranean interdependence .development ,withtheaimofincreasingexportsand,
evenmoreimportantly,reducingtheMaghreb'sdepen­
denceonfoodimports.
5.2.7.Similarly,ifforeigninvestmentandcomp­
lementaritywithintheindustrialsectoraretobe
developed,itwillbenecessarytopursueaCommunity
industrialpolicyabletopromoteanindustrialdevelop­
mentintheEC'sMediterranean regionsbasedoninter­
mediateandadvancedtechnologyratherthanlow
added-valueandlowtechnology.Thiswouldendcom­
petitionwithMaghrebindustrialization andmakea
directcontributiontotherequisitesynergies,comp­
lementaritiesandintegration .5.3.4.Tothisend,itwillbenecessarytotake
measurestoboostMaghreblivestock,cerealandolive
production,inordertoestablishthefoundationfor
thedevelopmentofinternalagriculturalmarketsby
underpinningtheincomesofproducersinthosesectors.
Accountwillhavetobetakenhereofthelinksbetween
domesticneedsandtheworldmarkets.Theexperience
gainedintheearlyyearsoftheCAPcouldbeofcon­
siderablehelpinthisrespect,notonlywithregardto
internalpricingpolicy,butalsoforshieldingagainst
outsidecompetition .
5.3.5.Thegoalofverticallyandhorizontallyinte­
grateddevelopmenthasastrategicdimension,sinceit
shouldenableruralpopulationstoremainontheland,
thusstemmingthedrifttowardscongestedurbanareas
andconsequently reducingthepoolofpotential
migrants.5.2.8.TheCommunication statesthatanewdivision
oflabourmustbeaccompaniedbyanopeningupof
MaghrebmarketstotheCommunity .Thisissuewill
bediscussedbelowinrelationtotrade:however,it
needstobemadeclearatthispointthatnotonlyshould
liberalizationbegradual,butthatthevariousstagesin
itsachievementmustbecontingentuponsuccessin
developingnewspecializedtypesofproductioninthe
Mediterranean area.Otherwise,complementarity will
notbeachievedandMaghrebindustrialization and
agriculturaldevelopmentwillprobablybefrustrated.5.3.6.Integratedeconomicdevelopmentshouldhin­
geuponemployment .Thisistheonlywayofoffering
hopetoyoungpeople,whoareinthevanguardof
currentsocialunrest,ofmigrationandofthe'brain­
drain'.Takingasimilarview,theCommissionCom­
municationstatesthatjobcreationisamajorpriority,
andcallsforemphasisonprogrammeswithasignificant
employmentcomponent,suchasthecreationofsmall
businesses.TheCommitteecanonlywelcometheCom­
mission'sacknowledgement oftheseviews,longargued
bytheCommittee .5.3.Integratedeconomicdevelopmentandsocial
developmentintheMaghrebcountries
5.3.1.RegionalintegrationandthefosteringofEuro­
Maghrebcomplementarity shouldgenerate,andbesus­
tainedby,notonlyanupturnineconomicgrowth
(assuggestedbytheCommission )butalsostructural
strengtheningoftheindividualMaghrebeconomies.
6.Specificco-development policies
5.3.2.Verticallyandregionallyintegrateddevelop­
ment,basedonthemaximumuseoflocalnaturaland
humanresources,shouldthereforefigureamongthe
aimsofEuro-Maghreb cooperation,andbetreatedas
inseparablefromthefirsttwoobjectives.
6.1.Debt
5.3.3.Stepstoachieveverticallyandregionallyinte­
grateddevelopmentshouldincludeappropriateindus­
trialdevelopmentandjudicioustouristexpansion,to­
getherwiththenecessaryaccompanying measuresin
thebasicandadvancedtertiarysectors.However,the
mosturgentgoalistopressaheadwithagro-industrial6.1.1.Indebtedness ,whichhasreachedunsustaina-;,
blelevelsinsomeMaghrebcountries,mustbereduced
ifgrowthanddevelopmentaretorecoverintheregion.
TheCommission ,severelycriticizedbytheCommittee

NoC313/62 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
inthepastforitsreticenceinthisarea,hasatlastgiven
dueweighttothedebtissueandhighlightedtheharmful
effectsofdebtondevelopmentandcooperation,par­
ticularlyinthecaseofAlgeria.
6.1.1.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheacceptanceof
thesuggestioninits1991Opinionthatspecialloans
shouldbeprovidedinordertosupportthebalanceof
payments.Butalthoughitisimportant,thismeasure
aloneisnotanadequateresponsetothedebtissue.effective.TheCommunication spellsouttheforms
whichsuchsupportmighttake:
—technicalassistance(taxandfinancialreform,com­
panyrestructuring ,privatization ,vocationaltrain­
ing,etc.);
—supportforvulnerablesocialsectors(health,edu­
cation,housing,etc.);
—directsupportforprogrammeslinkingvocational
trainingtoemployment (SMEs,apprenticeships
whichgenuinelyleadtojobs,etc.).
6.2.2.1.TheCommitteeispleasedtonotethatthe
Commissionagreeswithits1991Opinionontheinad­
equacyofthefundsallocatedtotheseobjectivesofthe
RenewedMediterranean Policy,andthatitproposes
anincrease.6.1.2.TheCommitteeregretsthatitsothertwopro­
posalshavenotbeenheeded,andrepeatsthem.Firstly,
theECshouldtakeurgentstepstocoordinateaction
betweenMemberStateswiththeinternational insti­
tutionswhichconcernthemselveswithdebt,witha
viewtoanagreedreduction/conversionoftheexternal
debtoftheMediterranean countries,theMaghrebin
particular.Secondly,whereofficialloansareconcerned
—startingwiththosefromMemberStates—the
TunisianGovernment'sproposaltoswapdebtsfor
social,ecologicalandhumanresourcesexpenditure,
usingcounterpartfundsinnationalcurrency,should
beimplemented .6.3.Foreigninvestment
6.1.2.1.Anexamination shouldalsobemadeof
opportunities whichhavealreadybeensuccessfully
exploredbysomeLatinAmericancountriesforreduc­
ingforeigndebtbyopeningupsecondarymarkets.
6.2.Structuraladjustment6.3.1.Theimportance ofaregional
Maghrebmarket
6.3.1.1.Ashasalreadybeensaid,Maghrebdevelop­
mentpossibilities—andparticularlythechancesof
reducingitstradedependenceonEurope—areclosely
tiedtothebuildingofaregionalMaghrebmarket.
ThisistheonlyconceivablewayofgearingMaghreb
industrytoitsdomesticmarket.Itisnecessarytoreiter­
ateapointwhichemergedattheMeetingofEconomic
andSocialInterestGroups,namelythatthecreationof
aninternalMaghrebmarketwouldcertainlyattractfar
moreforeigninvestmentthansub-contracting oper­
ations.Ofcourse,thismeansachievinghighenough
productivitytomakedomesticproductsmoreattractive
thanimports.
6.3.1.2.Thetransferoflabour-intensive industries
totheMaghrebwouldnotsufficetomeettheneed
forgreaterEC-Maghrebcomplementarity .Firstand
foremost,intra-industrial complementarity (including
thefoodindustry)mustbesecuredbetweentheEC's
Mediterranean regionsandtheMaghrebnations;this
shouldbeunderpinnedbyajointefforttodevelopnew
technologiessuitedtotheMediterranean regions.6.2.1.Asecondprerequisiteisareviewofthestruc­
turaladjustmentprogrammes (SAPs)imposedbythe
InternationalMonetaryFund—theinadequateresults
ofwhichareclear,andwhoseburdenis,especiallyin
socialterms,insupportable ,despiteIMFandWorld
Bankclaims.TheECmustdomorethansimplyoffset
thedamagecausedbySAPs.TheCommitteeregrets
thattheCommission'sCommunication isstillunable
toshakeoffthistypeofthinking,whichhasbeen
repeatedlyrejectedbytheCommittee .Ittherefore
reiteratesthattheCommunityshouldactivelyencour­
ageanewapproachtostructuraladjustmentbythe
IMFandbyMemberStatebilateralagreements .The
Communitymight,forexample,promoteaninter­
nationaldebtmanagementandstructuraladjustment
planfortheMaghrebcountries,asproposedbythe
Committeein1990.Suchaplanwouldneedtobe
discussedinthevariousinternational fora,andto
revolvearoundanIMFprogrammewhichaccommo­
datestherequirementsandspecialfeaturesofeach
country,butisdesignedforalltheMaghrebcountries.6.3.2.Otherconditionsforencouraging
investment intheMaghreb
countries
6.2.2.OnlyundertheseconditionscanCommunity
supportforeconomicadjustmentintheMaghreb,
undertheRenewedMediterranean Policy,betruly6.3.2.1.Inaworldeconomyfoundedonfreetrade,
privateinvestment—whetherdomestic,foreignor
mixed—willplayamajorroleintheeconomicdevel­

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/63
opmentoftheAMUMemberStates.TheCommittee
isinfullagreementwiththeCommissiononthis.trainingstructure.Inordertobeeffective,training
mustbecarriedoutinconjunctionwithprivate-sector
companieswhichrequirelabour,orspecializeintrain­
ing.Itshouldcoverallfields,notjustmanagement .
6.3.2.2.TheCommunication arguesthatitisessen­
tialthattheAMUcountriescreateconditionswhich
caterasfaraspossiblefortheirreallocalandinter­
nationalinvestmentneeds.Someoftheseconditions,
suchaslegislation,economicintegration,andsupport
structures,areobjective;otherssuchasstabilityand
confidencearesubjective.Theywerementionedingen­
eraltermsattheMeetingofEconomicandSocial
InterestGroups,andaresummarizedbelow.6.3.2.10.TheCommunityshouldalsohelpmake
Maghrebemployers'associationsmoreefficient,par­
ticularlyintheareasofmanagementtraining,statistics
gatheringandtheroleofsuchassociations .
6.3.2.11.Inadditiontotraininglocallabour,there
isalsoaneedforanappropriatepolicyonexpatriate
workers,particularlyspecialistsabletocontributeto
theirhomecountry'seconomicdevelopment .6.3.2.3.Investmentcodes,wheretheyexist,must
beflexible,transparentandsensitivetofundamental
domesticandforeignneeds.Theyshouldbeappliedby
administrators inapositiontoprovideinterestedparties
rapidlywiththeguidancetheyneedonhowthecodes
operate,andwithfullinformationonthesocio-econ­
omicsystemofthecountryconcerned(pay,socialsecur­
ity,taxation,statistics,etc.).6.3.2.12.ParticularattentionshouldbepaidtoSME
partnerships ,takingcarethatthebusinessesinvolved
marketqualityproductswhichcaneitherreplace
importsorcompeteontheexportmarket(whereappro­
priate,onasub-contracting basis).6.3.2.4.Investorsmustbeabletocountonadequate
transport,energyandwater-supplyinfrastructures ,at
non-prohibitive prices.
6.3.2.5.Freezonesofferingcompetitivefacilities,ser­
vicesandcostscansignificantlyboostaddedvalueby
processinglocalor,ifnecessary,importedraw
materials .6.3.2.13.OntheCommunityside,technicaland
financialsupportforjointventuresshouldbestepped
up,eitheronamultilateralbasisthroughtheEC—
International InvestmentPartners,orbilaterally
throughMemberStateforeigninvestmentpromotion
bodies.
6.3.2.6.ItisimportantthattheMaghrebcountries
shouldpossessasoundbankingsystem,enabling
locally-basedpartnerstosupplementtheircapitalby
tappingdevelopmentfunds,inparticularbymeansof
jointventures.6.3.2.14.Itisalsorecommended thattheBC-NET
system,currentlyoperatingonlyinTunisiaandMoroc­
co,beextendedtoAlgeria.
6.3.2.7.Thevarioustaxes,duties,etc.shouldbe
leviedinaconsistentfashion,enablinginvestorsto
producegoodsatcompetitiveprices.Customsarrange­
mentsshouldbewell-organized ,straightforward and
speedy.
6.4.Researchandtraining
6.3.2.8.Investmentmeansmorethanjustfinancial
andcapitalequipmenttransfers:itinvolvestheuseof
newtechnologiesandtechniques,togetherwithhuman
resources.Suchtransferspresupposethatthecountries
concernedpossessthewaysandmeanstoprotectintel­
lectualproperty.6.4.1.TheCommitteenotesthatthepossibilitiesfor
independenteconomicdevelopmentaretiedtopro­
visionofthefirstlinkintheadded-valuechain;namely,
scientificandtechnologicalresearch.Inotherwords,
theMaghrebmustnotrelysolelyontechnological
transferfromEurope.Newtechnologiesmustalsobe
availablelocally.Thismeansappropriatetechnologies
gearedtotheregion'sspecialneedsandusingits'poor'
andotherresources.6.3.2.9.Thejudiciousandequitableuseofhuman
resourcesisonlypossibleincountrieswhichhave
advancedsociallegislation,andaneffectivegeneral
educationalsystembackedupbyaregularlyupdated

NoC313/64 30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
mentinthetextileandothersectors,becauseoffears
thatfurtherrestrictivemeasureswillbeapplied.6.4.2.Particularencouragement shouldbegivento
technologieswhichuseindigenousresources,conserve
scarceresources,andminimizewaste.Tohelpdevelop
suchtechnologies,supportshouldbegiventoventures
whichbringtogetherresearchbodies,universities,local
institutionsandindustry.Specificmeasuresshouldalso
betakentoencouragesmallfirmstoexpandtheir
researchanddevelopment .6.5.4.InitsearlierOpinions(*),theCommitteepro­
videdampleevidencethatimprovedaccessofMNC
productstotheCommunitymarketwouldrequirea
newformofdevelopmentinthesouthernpartsof
theCommunity,andajointdevelopmentpolicyunder
whichcompetitionwouldbereplacedbycomplemen­
taryrelationsandsynergy. 6.4.3.Theneedforappropriatetechnologyisalso
widelyfeltintheCommunity'sMediterranean regions.
Priorityshouldthereforebegiventoprogrammeswhich
bringtogetherbusinessmenandresearchbodiesfrom
theMaghrebandfromtheECMediterranean regions
tocarryoutparallelresearch,experimentalandmanu­
facturingactivitiesbothinthesouthoftheCommunity
andintheMaghreb.Suchventuresarealreadyunder­
wayinsomepartsoftheCommunity .Theyshouldbe
assessed,improved,andextended.6.5.5.Thisisparticularlytrueinthecaseoffarm
products,wherethepresentpositionisunsatisfactory
bothfortheMNCandfortheCommunity'sMediter­
raneanregions.Continuanceoftraditionalexportflows
—andeventhisisnotguaranteedbythe1987-89
additionalprotocols—simplycrystallizesexisting
imbalancesandofferstheMNCnoprospectofdevelop­
ment(seePoint5ofthe1989Report).TheMNC
desperatelyneedtoincreasetheirexports,andfarm
exportsinparticular.Thisparadoxicalsituationcan
onlyberesolvedbyaprogramme,agreedbytheCom­
munityandtheMNC,torepatternagri-foodpro­
ductionthroughouttheMediterranean ,inlinewiththe
criteriagivenintheCommittee'searlierOpinions.6.4.4.AllthiscallsforamajoreffortbytheCom­
munitytoincludetheMaghrebanditsspecialneedsin
ECscientificandtechnologicalresearchprogrammes .
Inits1991OpinionontheRenewedMediterranean
Policy,theCommitteeputforwardaninterlinkedseries
ofproposals,whichcouldbeputintopracticefirstin
theMaghreb.
6.5.Tradepolicy6.5.6.TheCommitteehasendorsedtheCom­
mission'sgoalofgivingMNCindustrialproducts
(includingtextilesandclothing)freeraccesstothe
Community .TheCommitteehasalreadycalledforan
endtovoluntaryrestraintagreements,providedthat
theEC(pendingorintheabsenceofaproperGATT
legalframework )concludesanagreementwiththe
MNCdefiningrulesandguaranteesonfreeaccess,and
coveringdumping,exportcredits,counterfeiting ,social
dumping,andsoon(seePoint9.13.ofthe1989
Opinion).6.5.1.DevelopmentofMaghrebexportstotheEC
hasbeenimpededbytheCommunity'sconcernto
defend,inparticular,itsagricultureandtextilesand
clothingindustries.
6.5.7.TheMaghrebcountriesurgentlyneedtoearn
morehardcurrencyfromexportstotheCommunity
andtheindustrializedworldgenerally.Thisneedcould
decreaseifaregionalcommonmarketwereestablished .
TheCommunitycouldmakethisaconditionforfurther
concessionsforMaghrebexports.6.5.2.TariffconcessionsforMaghrebagricultural
exportshavebeenmuchmorethanoffsetbytariff
quotas,timelimits,referenceprices,andothercon­
straintsimposedbytheCommonAgriculturalPolicy.
The1986-87protocolsprovidenorealsolutionand
perpetuatethepresentsituation.6.5.8.TheCommitteeconfirmsitsviewthattechni­
calsupportfortheimprovementofMNCexportfacili­
tiesshouldbesteppedup.TheCommitteerepeatsits
6.5.3.Inthecaseofindustrialgoods,andmore
especiallytextiles,voluntaryrestraintagreementscall
ontheMaghrebtorenouncetheexerciseofadvantages
offeredunderthecooperationagreement.Theeffectof
thisnewapproachhasbeennotonlytocurbtextile
exportstotheECbutalsotodiscouragecapitalinvest (1)OJNoC168,10.7.1990.

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/65
callforthesetting-upofanagency,runjointlyby
CommunityandMNCoperators,forthecommercial
promotionofMediterranean products.TheCom­
munityshouldpromoteandsupportaninitiativeofthis.
kind.timetableenvisagedforthetransitionperiod.This
makestheproposalimpreciseandlendsitevenmore
ofapublicrelationsaura.TheCommitteestressesthat
ifdamagetotheMaghreb'seconomicandproductive
systemistobeavoided,thetransitionperiodmustbe
farlongerthanthetenyearsnormallyappliedbetween
countrieswithmorecomparablelevelsofdevelopment .
6.5.9.TheCommunitycouldalsoplayanimportant
roleinencouragingtheEFTAcountriestoopentheir
marketsmoretoMaghreband,moregenerally,MNC
products.Thecaseshouldalsobeconsideredforthree­
wayEC-MNC-Eastern Europetradeagreements,in
ordertoachievethemaximumcomplementarity .6.5.13.Itisstated,andrepeatedintheEuropean
Councildeclaration,thatMoroccoisthepreferred
startingpointforprogresstowardsfreetrade,because
ithasalreadyexpressedaninterest.Thisstatementis
equallyperplexing.Notonlydoesitclashhead-onwith
theEuropeanParliament'srecentconfirmationofthe
freezeonthefinancialprotocolwithMorocco,but
theideaofcreatingseparatefreetradeareaswiththe
individualMaghrebcountries,withdifferenttimescales
andpossiblydifferentinstitutionalarrangements ,lacks
credibility. 6.5.10.TheCommissionCommunication statesthat
thecreationofanopenEC-Maghrebeconomicarea
willbeamajorultimateobjectiveoftheEuro-Maghreb
agreements .ThisobjectivewasincludedintheLisbon
EuropeanCouncildeclaration .6.5.13.1.Inthefirstplace,becauseliberalizationof
asinglecountry'stradewithEuropewouldhamper
dismantlement oftariffbarrierswithintheAMU,and
wouldthereforemaketheprospectofaninternalMagh­
rebmarket—theprimaryobjective—moredistant.
6.5.10.1.Itisingeneraltermsunquestionable that
thislong-termobjectivewillhelpanchortheMaghreb
toEurope,buttheCommunication 'sreasoningissome­
whatpuzzling.6.5.13.2.Secondly,becauseapiecemealapproachby
theCommunitywouldsimplyexacerbateapointless
contestbetweentheMaghrebcountriesastowhois
'mostEuropean'or'mostliberal',withtheprobable
outcomeofanevendeeperdivisionbetweentheMagh­
rebasawholeandEurope.
6.5.11.Firstly,itisstrangetoarguethattheprospect
ofafreetradeareawilllendimpetusandcredibilityto
theanchoringoftheMaghrebtoEurope,andactasa
catalystforbusinessesandthepopulationingeneral,
ratherastheprospectof1992hasdonesince1985.6.6.Financialcooperation
6.6.1.Thelimitedsumsthusfarallocatedtofinan­
cialcooperationhaveinevitablyproducedextremely
modestresults,asmeasuredagainstneedsandobjec­
tives.6.5.11.1.Quiteapartfromthefactthattoday's
MaghrebcannotbecomparedwithaEuropeanCom­
munitywhichin1985hadalreadyexistedfornearly
threedecades,andthatamuchlonger-termtimescale
shouldthereforebeenvisagedinordertoavoiddamage
totheMaghreb'seconomicandproductivesystem,such
aclaimwouldbeinterpretedbythegeneralpopulation
andbusinessesasgesturepoliticsratherthanagenuine
movetowardsEuro-Maghreb integration .Measures
lending'impetus'and'credibility'totheCommunity's
politicalcommitmenttothefree-tradeobjectivemight
perhapsbedevisedinmoreimmediatelypracticable
andrelevantareas.6.6.2.Withoutarapidreshapingofthefinancial
positionoftheMaghrebnations,theireconomicand
socialsituationwillcontinuetodeteriorate .Thiswill
encourageextremismandisolationism,fuellingregional
insecurityandundermining—perhapsfatally—the
foundationsofafuturejointEuro-Mediterranean
strategy.
6.6.3.Onebasicpreconditionforaresurgenceof
Maghrebeconomicdevelopmentandgrowthisan
expansionofexternalfinancialflows.TheCommittee
hasalreadyendorsedtheproposaltoincreasetotal
developmentaid(ECandMemberStates)to1%of
CommunityGDPwith0,25%goingtoCentraland6.5.12.TheCommunication (andtheEuropean
Councildeclaration )speakofestablishingafreetrade
areainstages,butthereisnoindicationofthesortof

NoC313/66 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
servetochannelfundsfromtheoil-producingcountries
toadevelopmentschemecoveringalltheMediterrane­
anandMiddleEast.EasternEurope,0,25%totheMediterranean nations,
andtheremaining0,50%totheotherdeveloping
countries.TheDelorsIIpackageoffersasignificant
firststepinthisdirectionbyenvisagingadoublingof
ECexternalpolicyresourcesby1997.Thisdoubling
should,however,provideanopportunityforamore
balancedCommunityaidbudget,apportionedasmen­
tionedabove.6.6.6.1.TheCommissionshouldthereforepromote
thesettingupofaMediterranean andEuro-Arabdevel­
opmentbankinwhichtheEuropean,Arab,andother
Mediterranean countrieswouldparticipate.Thebank
wouldremainopentobroaderinternationalpartici­
pation.6.6.4.TheEuropeanCommunity,foritspart,should
notfocusexclusivelyonCentralandEasternEurope;
itsforeignpolicyshouldaccordtheMediterranean ,
particularlytheMaghreb,theimportanceitdeserves.
7.Thesocialaspectofco-development policy
6.6.5.TheCommunication referstotheMaghreb's
enormousfinancialrequirementsoverthenexttwo
decades.TheCommission ,however,intendstodis­
chargeitsresponsibilityforcontributingtothisinvest­
menteffortwithoutsubstantially amendingthe
RenewedMediterranean Policy'sprogrammesand
financialresources,atleastbefore1996.7.1.Thesocialchapterofthe1976agreementshas
sofarremainedadeadletter.Despitetheproblems
raisedbyMaghrebemigrationandtheoutlookforthe
singlemarket,thisareaisstillgovernedbyMember
States'nationallegislationandbilateralagreements .
6.6.5.1.Itisconsequentlynecessarytorepeatthe
criticismsmadeintheCommittee's1991Opinionon
theRenewedMediterranean Policy,withregardtoboth
thecontentandmethodsofthecooperationinitiatives
(financialprotocols,riskcapital,supportforeconomic
reform,horizontalcooperation,EIBinvolvement ,etc.)
andtheleveloffunding.7.2.Afteranumberofyearsduringwhichthesocial
dimensionvirtuallyvanishedfromECtextsonMediter­
raneanpolicy,boththeCommissionCommunication
andtheEuropeanCouncilDeclarationassignasignifi­
cantplacetocooperationinthesocialsphere.However,
thesetwodocumentslimitthemselvestomigration
(discussedbelow),anddemographicgrowth.Proposals
onthelatterissuegonofurtherthanstrengthening
Communitysupportforbirthcontrolpolicies.
6.6.5.2.Inparticular,theCommitteestressesthe
needforclosercoordination ofindividualMember
States'financialcooperationpolicieswiththeMaghreb
countries.Thisshouldbeachievedwithintheframe­
workoftheCommunity'snew,post-Maastricht foreign
policy,andonthebasisofdialoguewiththeAMU
MemberStates.7.3.AstheCommitteesaidinitsNovember1991
SecondAdditionalOpinionontheCommunity's'over­
allMediterranean Policy',theCommunityshouldtake
abroadrangeofstepstodevelopthesocialdimension
ofitsMediterranean co-development policy,interalia:
—placingemploymentatthecentreofcooperation
policy;
—emphasizingenhancementofhumanresources,par­
ticularlythroughtraining;6.6.6.Theonlyinnovativeproposalinthisareais
theestablishment ofaEuro-Maghreb development
bank.TheCommitteeispleasedthattheCommission
supportsproposalsmadebycertainCommunity
governmentsalmostthreeyearsagoandconsistently
endorsedbytheCommittee .However,itcannotbut
notethenarrownessofthecurrentproposal,incontrast
withtheoriginalonewhichcoverednotonlytheMagh­
rebbuttheentireMediterranean basin.Itisfelt,for
obviousreasonsofcoherencewiththeMediterranean
approach,thataninstrumentofthiskindshouldpossess
awiderdimension :indeed,inthelightoftherecent
resumptionoftheEuro-Arabdialogueandcooperation
withtheGulfCooperationCouncilcountries,itshould—preventingdisparitiesinsocialandworkingcon­
ditionsfrombreachingthefundamentalsocialrights
ofworkers.TheCommissionisthereforeurgedto
drawupasocialprotocol,applicabletoallMNCs,
embodyingclausesupholdingrespectforsocialand
tradeunionstandards,inaccordancewithILOCon­

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/67
ventions.IntheMaghrebcontexttheAMUshould
beencouragedtoadoptacharteroffundamental
socialrightsforworkers,basedontheCommunity's
SocialCharter;
—buildingupamodernlabourrelationssystem
throughouttheMediterranean basin;ofmoneyhashadapurelyinflationaryimpact,sinceit
doesnotstemfromanyformofproduction,andis
spentinawaywhichinthefinalanalysisdoesnothelp
thesupplysideoftheeconomy.Thedisproportionate
importanceoftheseflowstotheirbalanceofpayments
makestheMaghrebcountriesliterallydependenton
remittancesfrommigrants,atatimewhenthese
migrantsareincreasinglyaffectedbyunemployment or
areapproachingretirementage,withtheresultthat
theycansendlessmoneyhome.Massemigrationof
workers—generallyfromthecountryside—hasdis­
ruptedruralsocietyanditseconomy;ithasaccelerated
theexodusand,becauseitleadstoaneconomybased
onremittancesfromabroadandnotonproduction,
hasfailedtoresolvetheemploymentproblem.—promotingtheinvolvementofsocialandeconomic
interestgroupsintheimplementation ofMediter­
raneanpolicyatalllevels,i.e.local,regional,
nationalandCommunity .Inthiscontext,theCom­
mitteewouldrepeattherecommendation thatMNC
andCommunityeconomicandsocialinterest
groupsbemandatorilyconsultedbeforeany
decisionsaretakenonprogrammespursuanttoco­
developmentpolicy.
7.3.1.TheCommissionandtheEuropeanCouncil
havefailed,inparticular,todevelopthelastthreetypes
ofaction—whichare,intheCommittee'sview,vital.8.3.TheCommitteenevertheless considersthat
migrationfromtheMaghrebtotheCommunitywillbe
afactoflifeforsometimetocome.Anappropriate
policymustthereforebedevised.Thetimeseemsripe
foranagreementbetweentheCommunityandallthe
Maghrebcountriessettingoutjointundertakingson
curbingmigrationpressures,onregulatingandcon­
trollingflowsandonsocialsecurityformigrantwor­
kers.
8.Migration
9.Democracyandhumanrights8.1.Migrationcontinuestopresentbothsideswith
amajorchallenge.IntheMaghreb,thetwinissuesof
employmentandgrowth,setagainstabackdropof
demographicchangewhichwillremaininitsinitial
phaseforanothertwentyyears,arehighlightingthe
limitationsofthedevelopmentstrategiesputintoplace
immediatelyafterindependence .IntheEC,wherethe
MemberStateshavesofardealtwithmigrationona
nationalbasis,thereisariskthattheSingleMarket
mayinstitutionalize discriminatory socialandlegalcon­
ditionsfornon-ECnationalsresidentwithintheCom­
munity.Inaddition,thegrowingpressuretomigrate
fromthecountriesoftheSouthernMediterranean com­
bineswiththeconstantpullexercisedbytheforeign
labourrequirementsofEurope'sblackeconomytokeep
illegalimmigrationatahighlevel.9.1.TheDeclarationapprovedbytheEuropean
Councillaysheavystressonacommoncommitment
torespectforinternationallawandtheresolutionsof
theUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil;torespectfor
humanrightsandfundamentalfreedomsincivil,politi­
cal,economic,socialandculturalmatters;totheestab­
lishmentofdemocracy;andtotoleranceandco-exist­
encebetweenculturesandreligions.
9.2.TheCommitteestronglybacksthisapproach,
whichisbasedontheMarch1991Commission Com­
municationonhumanrights,democracyanddevelop­
mentcooperationpolicy,andonthesubsequent
CouncilResolution .8.2.AttherecentmeetingofEC-Maghrebeconomic
andsocialinterestgroups,theMaghrebtradeunions
recognizedthatintheirhomecountries,migrationhas
beennotsomuchaforceforeconomicdevelopment
asacauseofwastageofhumanresources,economic
imbalanceanddependenceonthecountriestowhich
themigrantsmove.Byexportingworkersenmasse,in
exchangeforthepartoftheirwageswhichtheysend
home,theMaghrebcountrieshaveadoptedashort­
sightedeconomicapproachandcometorelyonthe
remittancesoftheirmigrantworkers.Thisinwardflow9.2.1.AsimilarlinewasadoptedintheResolution
whichtheEuropeanParliamentadoptedinJanuary
1992whenitvotedthefinancialprotocolswiththe
Mediterranean countries.TheResolutionurgedthe
introductionofademocraticandhumanrightsclause.

NoC313/68 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
9.3.TheCommitteeispleasedthattheCommission
intendstoincorporatethehumanrightsanddemocracy
dimensionintotheforthcomingEuro-Maghreb agree­
ments.Inanyevent,ithopesthatprotocolsreflecting
theclauserequestedbytheEuropeanParliamentwill
bedrawnupassoonaspossiblesothattheycanbe
appliedtocurrentcooperationactivities.10.1.1.TheculturalsideofEC-AMUdialogueisalso
veryimportant.TheCommissionCommunication and
theEuropeanCouncilDeclarationbothhighlightthis
aspectandmakespecificproposals,withtheemphasis
onyoungpeople,universitystudentsandstaff,scientists
andthemedia.Thisfillsasignificantgapinthe
RenewedMediterranean Policy,whichwasidentified
atanearlierstagebytheCommittee .
9.4.TheCommitteefurthernotesthatthecommon
commitmentsignalledbytheEuropeanCouncilimplies
appropriateactionbytheCommunityandtheMember
States,especiallyonimmigrants'rightsandtocombat
racismandxenophobia .10.1.2.EarlierESCOpinionsontheCommunity's
Mediterranean Policyconcentratedoneconomicand
socialdialogue.TheCommitteeendorsedtheCom­
mission'sproposaltodevelopthedialogueonsectoral
matterssuchasagricultureandenergy,andonwider
matterssuchastheenvironmentandmigration.It
reiteratedtheviewofthe1989Opinionthatsectoral
dialogueshouldbeunderpinnedbyproperinstruments
andbodiessuchasaMediterranean forumandjoint
institutions .Atallevents,suchdialogueshouldleadto
commonguidelinesonsectoralpolicieswhichwillform
thebasisforsubsequentsectoralagreementsbetween
theCommunityandtheMaghrebcountriesconstituting
afirststeptowardswideragreementswiththeother
MNCs.9.5.TheCommitteeisalsoconvincedthatimposing
conditionsuponfinancialcooperationisnotenoughto
makethedemocracyandhumanrightsdimensiona
reality.TheCommunitymustimplementanactivepol­
icyofsupportforhumanrightsanddemocracyin
Mediterranean countries,beginningwiththeMaghreb.
9.6.TheCommitteethereforewelcomestheCom­
mission'sproposaltoprovidetechnicalandfinancial
supportforhumanrightsprogrammesbasedoninitiat­
ivesbylocalassociationsworkinginthisfield,in
additiontothedemocraticreformsundertakenby
governments .10.2.TheCommittee thereforewelcomesthe
inclusionofmostofthesepointsintheCommission
Communication andtheEuropeanCouncilDeclar­
ation.Itisparticularlypleasedthatforthefirsttime,the
DeclarationexpressesthehopethattheEC-Maghreb
dialoguewill,inadditiontothegovernmental level,'as
soonaspossibleextendtoelectedrepresentatives and
thesocialpartners'.Thisisthefirsttimethatthis
particularpoint,espousedbytheCommitteeinits
earlierOpinionsandhighlightedattheApril1992meet­
ingofeconomicandsocialinterestgroup,hasbeen
explicitlyaccepted.Itis,however,regrettablethatno
mentionismadeofthecentralrolewhichtheCom­
mitteecouldplayinthisarea.9.7.TheCommitteewouldneverthelessstressthat
similareffortsmustbeputintodevelopingeconomic
democracyandinparticularintopromotingandsup­
portingautonomous ,socio-economicdemocraticstruc­
tures.Interalia,thiswillmakeitpossibletoavoid
implementing theco-development policyexclusively
throughState-centredchannels.Thestrengtheningof
democracyandabroaderroleforeconomicandsocial
interestgroupsshouldbeoneofthemaininstruments
forpromotingdemocracyintheMaghrebcountries.
10.Dialogueandtheroleoftheeconomicandsocial
organizations10.3.Theestablishment ofanEC-AMUeconomic
andsocialcouncilwouldbeagreathelphere.Involve­
mentofthesocio-economic organizationswouldhelp
toputthedialogueonabroaderfootingandthus
facilitateanin-depthconsiderationofwaysandmeans
tosecureeconomicandsocialcomplementarity between
thetworegions.
10.1.Theabove-mentioned goalsandsubstanceof
revampedEuro-Maghreb cooperationrequiretheEC
andtheAMUtotakeimmediatestepstostrengthen
andinstitutionalize anorganizedpartnershipandon­
goingdialogue,oneconomic,politicalandcultural
mattersofjointinterest.Inthisconnection,initial
movescouldbemadetowardstheestablishment ofthe
Mediterranean ForumlongadvocatedbytheCom­
mittee.10.4.Giventheneedtoenhanceeconomicdemoc­
racyandpromotedialoguebetweeneveryoneinvolved
inEC-Maghrebco-development ,itisnecessary(i)to
pursuethedialoguelaunchedatthemeetingofrepresen­
tativesofAMUandECeconomicandsocialinterest

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/69
groups,and(ii)tostrengthenthelinksbetweenthe
ESC,theEuropeansocio-economic organizations ,and
theirAMUcounterparts .
10.5.TheCommitteewouldreiteratethatthese
meetingsshouldbeputonaregularandpermanent
footing,withaviewtotheirinclusioninthepossible
institutionalization ofEC-Maghrebcooperation .
11.TowardsanewEC-AMUcontractualframework
11.1.TheCommission'spragmaticattituderegard­
ingtheAMU,reflectedinitsaimtocontinuetheEC­
AMUdialogue'aspoliticalcircumstances allow',is
convincing .Buttheneedandtheopportunityforthe
Communitytoplayapositive,activeroleatthepolitical
levelmustnotbeoverlooked .
11.1.1.Atallevents,thestrengtheningofcontractual
agreementswithAlgeria,MoroccoandTunisiamust
notdelaytheinstitutionalization ofEC-AMUrelations
and,inparticular,mustnotheralda're-nationalization '
oftheglobalMediterranean policy.11.2.TheestablishmentofjointEC-AMUco-devel­
opmentbodieswouldbethefirststeptowardsthe
setting-upofaMediterranean cooperationcouncil.
11.3.Stepsshouldbetakenintheshort-termtodraw
upanEC-AMUConventionor,iftheAMUisnotyet
ready,aConventionwithallthoseMaghrebcountries
withwhichtheCommunityhasagreements .ThisCon­
ventionshouldbeafirststeptowardsreplacingbilateral
agreementsbyanoverallMediterranean Convention
(orTreaty)embracingspecificdevelopmentagreements
(orcontracts),astheCommitteeandParliamenthave
repeatedlysuggested.
11.4.TheCommitteebelievesthatwithaviewto
newEC-Maghrebrelationsitwouldbeusefultocon­
clude,atleastonanexperimentalbasis,anumberof
developmentagreements (orcontracts),ofthetypes
previouslysuggestedbytheCommittee .
11.5.Inanycase,theCommitteebelievesthatthe
currentFinancialProtocolsshouldbereplacedbya
betterinstrumentwhentheyexpire.
DoneatBrussels,24September1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH