Paper  elaborated by The Chamber of Deputies on  

Views of Mediterranean Partners regarding

the European Strategy

 

 

   Tunisia has the honor to present a paper on behalf of South countries on   “Views of Mediterranean Partners regarding the European Strategy”. We hope that the mentioned paper reflects the points of view of the majority of south countries concerning the main current issues in the Euro-Mediterranean space .

We are parliamentarians, presidents and members in National and legislative Assemblies, and our responsibilities differ from those of governments in terms of the decision and execution fields; however, we have been present since the beginning of the Mediterranean cooperation process and we worked to establish this Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary institution in order to be a wide space and  an open tribune in which people’s preoccupations and issues are expressed in the framework of a permanent dialogue and continuous understanding between all parties, that should be settled on the expansion of the values of openness, solidarity, co-existence and the achievement of social and economic development for all concerned parties .

The beneficial and effective Euro-Mediterranean partnership that would render the Mediterranean space able to assume the cultural historical and civilizationnal mission of the peoples of the region, should take into consideration a number of criteria , and should be based  on a number of elements , including :

 

First : In the Political and Security Field :

 

- Consolidating the political dialogue and security cooperation between the North and the South, in addition to the necessity of security and peace settlement and the eradication of spots of tension especially in the Middle East .

We also consider that the revival of negotiations about the Road Map, directly after the success of the presidential Palestinian elections, has positive symptoms that announces a new beginning towards achieving security and peace in the region, especially if the political effective will is provided by the two main concerned parties, the Euro-Mediterranean community and the European union.

We also call for the settlement of the Iraqi situation according to international legitimacy and laws .

- Enhancing the regional peace and common work  through the evacuation of all the Middle East region from massive destruction arms without discrimination or exception and according to Barcelona Declaration .

-Unifying efforts to eradicate terrorism and extremism by dealing with its reasons lying in poverty, exclusion and marginalisation, in addition to our endeavors to elaborate a behavior code to fight against terrorism under the United Nations .

- Emphasizing on the importance of the new neighborhood policy as a means able to enhance Barcelona process in order to be an instrument that promote equilibrium between the South countries and all European Union .

- Intensifying the contribution of parliamentary diplomacy to push forward the role of parliamentarians in Euro-Mediterranean partnership and the promotion of both the bilateral and the multilateral parliamentary cooperation .

In this a context, we support the belonging of Libya to Barcelona process as a full associate member  with the condition of  accepting process proceeds.

-Taking into consideration that the content of the Declaration of Tunis on modernization and development issued by the Summit of the League of Arab States : the sixteenth ordinary session, and the principle of internal reform necessity agrees with the results of the report of  the European Council held in Athens in 2003. This Declaration is considered as an adequate platform to put into practice the European strategy for the Mediterranean region and the Middle East and the new European neighborhood strategy .

  

Second : in the Economic Field :

 

- Activating the projects of economic cooperation including the free Exchange area and enhancing the private sector of the economies of the region as provided by the Euro-Mediterranean Chart on the enterprise.

- Reviewing the financial cooperation programs in order to increase the appropriations reserved by the Northern countries for the assistance of the Southern countries so as the economic and financial reforms programs could be carried out, comprehensive development could be reached in order to meet incessant needs of the Mediterranean countries as well as their efforts of reform.

- Working for the purpose of establishing decentralized cooperation between the Euro-Mediterranean countries, cities and regions through the reinforcement of all its organisms, employment of all its mechanisms such as municipal councils and the civil society institutions and involving them in the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation as a promising field that would enrich comprehensive cooperation.

-The necessity to link between sustainable development and the protection of environment as it is emphasized on in Helsinki Conference on environment held in November 1997, as well as the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Euro-Mediterranean countries in July 2002, Athens, in accordance with a common approach as per the agreements of Johannesburg Summit 2002 on sustainable development.

- Continuing work to establish the Euro- Mediterranean bank.

- The necessity to assist the ability of the Euro- Mediterranean partners to attract direct foreign investments, especially through :

* encouraging activities with high-value added and high technology.

* supporting the proposal of the creation of investment guarantee fund.

* transforming the Euro-Mediterranean network ANIMA to Euro-Mediterranean agency for foreign investments.

 

Third : in the Social Field  :

 

- Strengthening the integration of the legal immigrants in their EU countries of residence, protecting their rights in accordance with the national Laws of those countries and pushing ahead the efforts aiming at ensuring the appropriate conditions of people transportation.

- Contributing to the development of the  source countries of immigrants and , setting a common strategy for poverty containment as well as encouraging the creation of jobs in the least developed regions.

-The continuation of efforts to promote employment in the framework of an education and training program.

More flexibility in delivering visas for the persons of the Southern Mediterranean part and the humanization of this process.

-Granting human exchange its worthy importance, combating illegal immigration and adopting a common comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean approach for the organized immigration.

-Giving the necessary importance for the quality of life, determining and unifying its formalities according to fixed standards, harmonizing those standards  between the Northern and Southern coasts of the Mediterranean, establishing a Euro-Mediterranean program to better the life standards in the Southern countries and reserving a special budget for this program.

-Promoting the social conditions, especially in the Southern countries, including the conditions of women, family and children ; the necessity to enhance the education and training bodies and setting a practical plan aiming at getting rid of illiteracy, bettering the conditions of life and reinforcing the exchange between people with regard to education, health, youth and sports.

  

Fourth :  in the Cultural Filed :

 

- Getting rid of the claim advocating the clash of civilizations, stating the common features between the two coasts, focusing on the activities and programs related to solidarity, tolerance, and fighting of extremism, racism, and discrimination with all its sorts, without distinction or selection.

- Establishing and reinforcing the knowledge society and the development of the knowledge economy.

- Enhancing the cooperation in the fields of scientific research and modern technologies in order to achieve progress in all sectors, facilitating the operations of technology transition by setting partnership programs relating to scientific and technological research on the themes of economic development for the Southern coast of the Mediterranean which can bridge the digital gap between the countries of the two coasts.

- Exhorting the national TV channels of the countries of both Mediterranean coasts to objectively produce programs on the different cultures and civilizations of the region in order to contribute to approaching these countries to each other.

-Intensifying cultural exchange by means of audiovisual and written media with a view to spreading the values of tolerance and getting rid of extremism, terrorism and fundamentalism.

-Encouraging the ANNA LINDH Institution for the dialogue between cultures and civilizations to present a true image of the specific characteristics of the Arabic and Islamic civilization and push ahead the knowledge society.

-Deploring more efforts to ensure the success of the Mediterranean year (2005). 

   We have presented some proposals that can be further enriched to finally come up with comprehensive approaches aiming at setting the best ways to inaugurate a new stage of fruitful relations whereby the common interests are protected, a new dynamic is established to approach the life standards of the peoples of this region and bridge the economic, social and technological gap. Hence, this region would be an area of security , stability ,   dialogue and cooperation .