Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the Tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: A work programme to meet the challenges of the next five years
Date: 2005-10-13
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: Euro-Arab cooperation, European neighbourhood policy, Mediterranean third countries, South-South cooperation, Union for the Mediterranean, local authority, regional authority

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Communication from the Commission to the
Council and the European Parliament on the Tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partner-
ship: A work programme to meet the challenges of the next five years

(2006/C 81/12)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European
Parliament on the Tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: A work programme to meet the chal-
lenges of the next five years (COM(2005) 139 final);

HAVING REGARD TO the European Commission's decision of 3 June 2005 to consult it under the first
paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

HAVING REGARD TO the decision of its Bureau of 12 April 2005 to instruct its Commission for
External Relations to draw up an opinion on this subject;

HAVING REGARD TO its outlook opinion of 21 April 2004 on The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and
local and regional authorities: the need for coordination and a specific instrument for decentralised cooperation (CdR
327/2003) (1);

HAVING REGARD TO the Conclusions of the conference Towards a new Euro-Mediterranean Area which,
on its initiative, brought together local and regional representatives in Livorno, Italy on 31 October 2003
(CdR 350/2003);

HAVING REGARD TO the Conclusions of the First Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary
Assembly held in Cairo in March 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the Conclusions of the 7th Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference, held in
Luxembourg on 30 and 31 May 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the report on Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, Ten years after Barcelona: Achievements
and Perspectives, prepared by FEMISE;

HAVING REGARD TO the report on Barcelona Plus: Towards a Euro-Mediterranean Community of Democratic
States, prepared by EuroMeSCo;

HAVING REGARD TO the declaration of Euro-Mediterranean mayors approved by the Eurocities'
Euromed Commission in Byblos on 27 September 2003;

HAVING REGARD TO its Resolution on the 6th Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference (CdR 357/
2003) (2);

HAVING REGARD TO its draft opinion (CdR 142/2005 rev. 1), adopted by the Commission for External
Relations on 30 June 2005 (rapporteur: Ms Terron i Cusi, Secretary-General of the Patronat Catalá pro
Europa — Government delegate of the Generalidad de Cataluña in Brussels (ES/PES));

unanimously adopted the following opinion at its 61st plenary session, held on 12 and 13 October
2005 (meeting of 13 October):

1. Views of the Committee of the Regions

1.1 General comments

The Committee of the Regions,

1.1.3
stresses that the strong links that exist between the
EU and its Mediterranean partners are historical and strategic in
nature, but that the EuroMed partners are also interdependent
due to trade, financial, tourism and migration flows;

1.1.1 welcomes the Commission's Communication and
greatly appreciates its continued full commitment to the Euro-
Mediterranean partnership;

1.1.4
supports the idea that the tenth anniversary of the
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership provides an opportunity to
further develop cooperation between the two sides of the Medi-
terranean and give a new impetus to the Barcelona Process;

1.1.2
agrees that the Barcelona Process has developed a
strong partnership on a basis of joint ownership, dialogue and
cooperation;

(1) OJ C 121 of 30.4.2004, p.18.
(2) OJ C 73 of 23.3.2004, p. 77.

1.1.5
notes that the record of the 10 years is in general
positive and shows significant achievements, although advances
in some important matters have followed a very slow path;

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1.1.6
programme proposed by the Commission;

acknowledges the ambitious and well prepared work

tries remains low, and that the prosperity gap has not been
reduced;

1.1.7
stresses that the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership is a
very important dossier for the CoR and that from the start of
the Barcelona Process it has backed and encouraged coopera-
tion between the two sides of the Mediterranean;

1.2.5
considers that the limited progress in South-South
integration is due to a number of factors, and notably to the
low level of institutional development in the Mediterranean
partner countries;

1.1.8
notes that further efforts have to be made in order to
involve sub-state actors in the Barcelona Process, since they are
key players who should contribute to the deepening and enhan-
cing of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership;

1.1.9
points out that it has consistently called for greater
involvement of local and regional authorities in the Barcelona
Process;

1.1.10 welcomes the Conclusions of the 7th Euro-Mediter-
ranean Ministerial Conference regarding the role of regional
and local authorities, which need to be more closely involved
in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in order to take stock of
their common challenges, and exchange experiences and best
practice;

1.1.11
expresses its willingness to strengthen cooperation
with existing institutions involved in the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership.

1.2 Stocktaking of the Barcelona Process

The Committee of the Regions,

1.2.1
agrees that cooperation has improved in the political
and security dimension, although the pace has been slower
than hoped for. On the positive side, one major achievement
has been the creation of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary
Assembly in 2004 together with the operation of some confi-
dence-building measures;

notes moreover that

1.2.6
investment has
increased very little. South-South integration has not improved.
The ‘Agadir’ agreement signed in 2004 between Morocco,
Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt has not been ratified yet;

foreign direct

agrees that in the human, cultural and social dimen-
1.2.7
sion, education is a key element. Cooperation with civil society
has been strengthened, and the creation in 2004 of the Anna
Lindh Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures will further
promote exchanges in those fields;

1.2.8 welcomes the substantial progress that has been
made in the financial aspects of the partnership through the
creation of FEMIP (the Euro-Mediterranean Investment Facility),
and in speeding up project and programme implementation of
MEDA II;

reiterates that

the lack of coordination between
1.2.9
MEDA II and INTERREG III has limited involvement by local
and regional authorities in the southern Mediterranean coun-
tries in cooperation projects implemented under INTERREG III
owing to the lack of European co-financing for the Mediterra-
nean partners; reaffirms the need for crossborder cooperation,
and suggests that the new ENPI financial instrument be used
for this purpose;

reiterates that, as a consequence, this has prevented
1.2.10
the dissemination, in accordance with the Barcelona spirit, of
experience and good practice relating to the partnership at
local and regional level, despite the fact that many regional and
local authorities in the EU have forged close links with their
counterparts on the southern side of the Mediterranean.

considers that the Barcelona Process has not resulted
1.2.2
in a significant advance in democratisation and has not had
any direct effect on the major unresolved conflicts in the
region, and especially on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict;

1.3 Proposed initiatives and work programme

The Committee of the Regions,

1.2.3
endorses the view that progress in the Partnership
has concentrated on the economic and commercial objectives
of the Barcelona Declaration aimed at creating a Euro-Mediter-
ranean Free Trade Area by 2010. The network of bilateral
Euromed Association Agreements is now almost complete and
tariff barriers for industrial goods have disappeared or are
progressively been dismantled;

stresses that insufficient progress has been made in
1.2.4
achieving reciprocal
that
liberalisation of agricultural
foreign and domestic private investment in the partner coun-

trade,

1.3.1
agrees that in the field of human rights and democ-
racy, further efforts have to be made in promoting gender
equality, fundamental and social rights, independent judiciaries
and pluralism, and in striving towards common views of the
challenge of democratisation;

stresses that,

the involvement and
to that end,
1.3.2
engagement of sub-state actors (regional and local), together
with civil society and social partners,
to reach
achievements in this field;

is crucial

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1.3.3
believes that decentralised cooperation helps local
and regional authorities in the southern Mediterranean coun-
tries to achieve higher levels of good governance by promoting
social participation, private involvement, and public leadership
in the promotion of local economic development, thus reinfor-
cing the institutional role of local and regional authorities vis-à-
vis central governments and decentralised State authorities;

1.3.4
development from a regional
the major objectives of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership;

points out that the promotion of economic and social
integration approach is one of

stresses that the creation of a truly regional market
1.3.5
can contribute to economic and social development, and,
in
any event, is a necessary but insufficient condition for develop-
ment;

believes that a truly regional market can only be
1.3.6
achieved by strengthening integration among Mediterranean
partners, deepening reform through a comprehensive approach,
involving civil society and sub-state actors, and showing a
strong political will;

thinks that association agreements are bilateral

1.3.7
in
nature and do not really provide the Mediterranean partners
with instruments for regional integration, which is a necessary
step towards the creation of a truly regional market;

1.3.8
considers that the European Neighbourhood Policy
to qualitative
(ENP) can contribute,
through action plans,
changes in EuroMed relations, but that this must not be done
at the expense of the multilateral dimension of the Euro-Medi-
terranean Partnership. The Barcelona Process should remain the
central instrument for partnership and dialogue for the region;

1.3.9
points out that the creation of the European Neigh-
bourhood Policy Instrument (ENIP), which replaces existing
programmes such as MEDA, calls for a renewed interest in
fostering cooperation with the Mediterranean partner countries
in order to complete the set of proposed action plans with
them, without diluting the regional component which was
present in the MEDA programme or reducing (in absolute or
relative terms) the financial aid which the European Union
offers its Mediterranean partners;

and integration of trade in services and establishment, and
regrets that the Commission has not yet carried out a study of
the impact of establishing the free trade area; this should take
into account the five challenges to be tackled by MEDA II:
population, employment and migration, globalisation, dwind-
ling of resources, and the environmental challenge; recalls that
this document has been expected since the Malta conference
(Barcelona II, 1997) and has been requested on several occa-
sions by it and the European Parliament;

1.3.13
cultural issue for Mediterranean partners;

emphasises the primary importance of

the agri-

considers, therefore, that there is an urgent need to
1.3.14
refine the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) and to open the
Community's market to Mediterranean products, and to install
an EAGGF-type instrument for these products in order to facili-
tate unavoidable adjustments;

1.3.15
cooperation programme for rural development;

endorses the importance of

launching a regional

1.3.16 welcomes the proposal to engage in a dialogue with
partner countries and Member States in order to increase bilat-
eral cooperation in the sector of education and vocational
training, with a view to achieving three goals by 2015: eradica-
tion of illiteracy in the region; all students without distinction
of gender to be enrolled in primary school; and the elimination
of gender disparity at all levels of education;

1.3.17 welcomes the initiative to strengthen the existing
mobility programmes by launching a substantial scheme of
scholarships for university students co-funded by the Commis-
sion and host countries within the Euro-Mediterranean region;

1.3.18 welcomes the recognition of the role played by local
authorities and civil society in promoting cooperation in the
fields of justice, security and freedom, including migration and
social integration;

stresses that the creation of FEMIP and its provisions
1.3.10
for co-financing bring an urgent need to assess the practical
possibilities for setting up a Euro-Mediterranean Development
Bank;

1.3.19
considers that it is important to strengthen the role
and presence of civil society and the social partners in the part-
nership; and welcomes the launch of
the EuroMed non-
governmental platform, which will provide an important link
in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership;

1.3.11
the Commission proposal
submit an assessment in consultation with the EIB in 2007;

endorses,

therefore,

to

1.3.12 welcomes the idea that the EU and the Mediterra-
nean countries should agree to negotiate on the liberalisation

1.3.20
notes that the Mediterranean is a pre-eminent area
for dialogue between cultures and civilisations; and calls for
continued support for initiatives designed to create a common
audiovisual area, to enhance understanding amongst societies,
and to fight racism and all forms of xenophobia, including Isla-
mophobia and anti-Semitism;

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1.3.21
regrets that the Commission's Communication of 12
April 2005 contains no proposal to increase the role of sub-
state actors in the partnership or to establish consultation
mechanisms with the existing EuroMed institutions; neverthe-
less welcomes the important sub-state regional programmes,
such as MEDACT and MEDPACT, for stepping up this action;

2. The Committee of the Regions' recommendations

The Committee of the Regions,

1.3.22
agrees that the visibility of the partnership needs to
be improved in both the EU and partner countries, and that
this requires a number of jointly agreed, clear and consistent
messages to be addressed to ordinary men and women using
the most effective means of communication and dissemination;

1.3.23
stresses that local and regional authorities, on both
the northern and southern sides of the Mediterranean, provide
link between central
a functional, political and territorial
government and civil society;

recalls, finally, that all the areas mentioned in the
1.3.24
Commission's Communication as key areas for cooperation in
the Barcelona Process are ones where local and regional autho-
rities can offer the greatest expertise:

— fostering democratisation;

— reforming institutions;

— policies promoting SMEs;

— policies promoting investment;

— agriculture, fisheries and rural development;

— policies promoting employment;

— regional and spatial planning;

— urban planning;

— environment,

resource management and prevention of

natural disasters;

— the sub-regional dimension of transport and energy;

— cultural and sporting initiatives;

— policies for safeguarding and fostering heritage;

— social proximity policies;

— education and training;

— health;

underlines the potential role of

2.1
local and regional
authorities in strengthening the Euro-Mediterranean Partner-
ship;

2.2
emphasises, therefore, that the contribution of those
authorities is vital in order to make progress in human rights
and democracy, economic and social development, and cultural
dialogue and understanding, which form the key guidelines
underpinning the Barcelona Process and the main priorities of
the work programme for the next five years;

2.3
reiterates its call for steps to be taken to increase the
involvement of local and regional authorities in the Euro-Medi-
terranean Process, since they are prime movers in the establish-
ment of an area of peace, stability and prosperity in the Medi-
terranean region;

stresses that regional cooperation at the political and,
2.4
official
is good policy, and that civil society networks
level
provide good partnerships. However, these need to be backed
by other mechanisms, including sub-state partnerships;

2.5
calls for the creation of a new forum in the Euro-Medi-
terranean institutional framework, with the task of promoting
territorial and decentralised cooperation, encouraging the part-
nership, developing programmes that include schemes to be
undertaken all over the Mediterranean region, and analysing
the functioning of association agreements with Mediterranean
partners. The forum could include local and regional authorities
from both sides of the Mediterranean;

2.6
suggests that the Commission note the call made to
local authorities at the first session of the Euro-Mediterranean
Parliamentary Assembly, asking them to contribute more to
building networks of contacts for promoting dialogue and
mutual understanding and exchanging experience and best
practice;

2.7
stresses that involvement of social players and civil
society is central to the success of the partnership and to the
achievement of its goals, but that this cannot be accomplished
without involving regional and local institutions and authori-
ties;

2.8
believes that there is a need to transcend the traditional
limits of centralised cooperation and that local and regional
authorities are the most appropriate level
for decentralised
cooperation;

— managing immigration flows, reception and integration

policy;

— increasing the visibility of the partnership.

notes in this context that there is scope for action by
2.9
local and regional authorities that complements and goes
beyond the traditional limits of cooperation at central-govern-
ment level;

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2.10
believes that the creation of instruments to promote
crossborder and transnational cooperation could promote terri-
torial cooperation in the regions of the Mediterranean basin;

2.11
points out that the decentralised cooperation practices
developed in recent years have highlighted the responsibility
that local authorities bear in their role as a catalyst for these
new cooperation processes, as was also acknowledged by the
Commission in its note on decentralised cooperation in January
2000;

2.12
notes that while the crucial role played by local and
regional authorities has been acknowledged by many Member

States, it should be harmonised and better clarified at EU level;
it should also be stated explicitly that their partners in the
southern Mediterranean countries should represent decentra-
in the regions
lised bodies, directly elected by citizens
concerned, and not — or not only — officials who are local
representatives of central government;

recommends that the Commission acquire a more in-
2.13
depth knowledge of the functions and powers of sub-national
institutions
southern Mediterranean countries by
carrying out a comparative analysis of local and regional autho-
rities and the reforms under way in the region.

in the

Brussels, 13 October 2005.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB