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The Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership: Time to Deliver.
Commissioner for External Relations and European
Neighbourhood Policy,Benita Ferrero-Waldner will attend
a ministerial meeting of Euro-Mediterranean Partners in
Tampere on 27/28 November . The meeting will review
progress on the implementation of the 5-Year work
programme agreed at last year’s Barcelona Summit and
outline the priorities for 2007. The Foreign Ministers
will discuss how to pursue this reform agenda, to bring
concrete results, and discuss the Middle East Peace
Process and situation in the region at a working dinner.
During the meeting in Tampere the Commissioner will
participate in separate Troikas meetings with the
Israeli delegation and the Arab group.
Before her departure for Tampere Commissioner Benita
Ferrero-Waldner remarked: “ When times are difficult, as
they have been with this year’s conflicts and political
upheavals, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership assumes
even greater importance. Regional cooperation through
the Barcelona process, in tandem with the European
Neighbourhood Policy, gives us our best chance to attain
our joint objectives. We need to mobilise political will
and determination, to make a reality of the goals we set
ourselves last year. We will be discussing common
agendas, and most important, work in areas in which we
need to make progress for the benefit of the people in
the region. I am committed to continue working with
partners to translate them into facts. It is time to
deliver”.
The European Commission has proposed in a Communication
priorities for implementation of the work programme in
2007, in fields such as political and security dialogue,
implementation of the code of conduct on countering
terrorism, free trade, energy, transport, environment,
education, women’s rights, cultural dialogue and
migration and looks forward to seeing these adopted by
the Ministerial meeting.
Activities in 2007 are expected to include
-
joint work on the fight against
terrorism including implementation of the Code of
Conduct agreed last year, with a particular focus on
the role of the media in preventing incitement and
ensuring human rights in the fight against terrorism
-
liberalisation of trade in
services and the right of establishment,
negotiations on deeper agricultural liberalisation,
regulatory convergence and enhanced investment to
further deepen economic integration.
-
a ministerial conference on
energy, with the aim of agreeing on priorities for
co operation to secure security of supply between
Euro-mediterranean partners, promote energy
efficiency and conservation.
-
a ministerial conference on
migration, which will focus on legal migration,
migration and development, and illegal migration.
-
implementing the Horizon 2020
initiative for the depollution of the Mediterranean
sea
-
the launch by the Commission of a
scholarship scheme for university students from the
region and the holding of a ministerial conference
on higher education,
-
start implementation of the
action plan agreed by the first ministerial meeting
on strengthening the role of women in society in
Istanbul in 2006
Background
The Barcelona process, launched by Euro-Mediterranean
Foreign Ministers in November 1995, formed an innovative
alliance based on the principles of joint ownership,
dialogue and cooperation. The Partnership has been
driven since by a common political will to build
together a space of peace, security and shared
prosperity. It has been successful in creating long-term
political and institutional links between Europe and its
Mediterranean partners; in establishing the foundations
for free trade and in engaging Mediterranean partners in
the path of reforms. The priority of the Barcelona
process is to develop the regional dimension of the
Partnership between Europe and the Sothern
Mediterranean. With the European Neighbourhood policy
working in complementarity and reinforcing the Barcelona
process, through action plans agreed with the Partner
countries, an added impetus has been given to bringing
about a qualitative change in Euro-Mediterranean
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