REX/113
Greater involvement of civil society organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership
at national and regional level (Euro-Mediterranean Summit)
Brussels, 1 October 2003
INFORMATION REPORT
of the Section for External Relations on
Greater involvement of civil society organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership at national and regional level
(Euro-Mediterranean Summit)
_____________________
Rapporteur: Mr Dimitriadis
_____________________
REX/113
- CESE 217/2003 fin rev. IT/MEV/CAT/vh
2 Rue Ravenstein, B-1000 Brussels Tel. +32 (0)2 546 90 11 Tel. +32 (0)2 513 48 93 Internet http://www.esc.eu.int
Foreword
The Eighth Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions held in Athens on 6 and 7 March 2002 decided that one of the reports to be submitted to the next Summit must address the issue of greater involvement of civil society organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership at national and regional level. The present report has been drawn up by the European Economic and Social Committee in collaboration with the Economic and Social Councils of Tunisia and Portugal, and with the Moroccan National Council for Youth and the Future.
This report provides an opportunity to analyse the particularly important role of organised civil society in constructing the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, especially the ways in which civil society organisations are involved (by providing information, advising and implementing) in the partnership at national and regional level.
In preparation for the forthcoming summit in Malta, the Euromed Follow-up Committee decided in October 2002 to send out a questionnaire to everybody who took part in the previous summit and to other civil society organisations implicated by European Union activities. The study group also organised a hearing, in collaboration with the Tunisian Economic and Social Council, with civil society representatives and organisations, which took place on 3 July. The aim of both these measures was to gain an initial indication of the Mediterranean partners' views on the subject of the current report.
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On 11 December 2001 the European Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 26 of its Rules of Procedure, decided to ask its Section for External Relations to draw up an information report on:
Involvement of civil society in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
The preparatory work was carried out by the following members and experts, in collaboration with the rapporteur and the Groups:
Section President: Mrs Cassina (II)
Rapporteur: Mr Dimitriadis (I) Members: Mr Carmentran (II)
Mr Confalonieri (III)
Mrs Lopez Almendariz (I)
Mr Moreno (II)
Mr Nilsson (III)
Mr Pesci (I)
Mrs Sigmund (III)
Experts: Mr Georgios Koutalakis (for the rapporteur) Mr Rachid Khedim (for Group II)
The study group met three times:
– on 8 January 2003 – on 11 March 2003 – on 4 July 2003.
The section unanimously adopted the information report on 9 September 2003.
Introduction
1. The Ministerial Declaration at the November 1995 Barcelona Conference, together with the Euro-Mediterranean bilateral association agreements, created the first multilateral framework in which civil society is recognised as making an "essential contribution" to the development of relations and as an "essential factor for greater understanding and closeness between peoples".
2. The ministerial declaration at the Barcelona Summit1, which was attended by 27 countries (15 EU and 12 Mediterranean countries: Cyprus, Malta, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia,
1 The Barcelona Declaration was adopted at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Ministers on 27-28.11.1995.
Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority), laid the foundations for implementing a three-pillar plan:
– first pillar: political and security partnership: establishing a common area of peace and stability;
– second pillar: economic and financial partnership: creating an area of shared prosperity (creation of a free-trade area by 2010);
– third pillar: partnership in social, cultural and human affairs.
3. The role of organised civil society is particularly important in the Barcelona Process, since it provides a framework for more effective and intensive cooperation that is more comprehensive than the traditional approaches prescribed in the specific context of countries' formal foreign policies. It is precisely this feature of the Barcelona Process which has ensured that this particular initiative remains dynamic and vital seven years after the original declaration.
4. There is no hard and fast definition of organised civil society. Because the term is so closely associated with specific historical developments in individual societies and so general, it can be defined only loosely, as a society that embraces democracy. Organised civil society could be described as a sphere of collective learning and action, because it comprises all the organisations whose members serve the general interest through democratic dialogue and the development of understanding and act as intermediaries between public authorities and citizens. The development of civil society is a cultural process that is the first stage in a social development geared towards pluralism, autonomy, solidarity, public awareness, participation, education, responsibility and subsidiarity.2
5. In the light of experience with European integration, the authors of the Euro- Mediterranean partnership realised that any effort to develop relations between countries – economic, political or both – could not work without the support of the societies involved.
6. The objective of the Barcelona Process to develop an area of peace, stability, security and mutual understanding3 could not be achieved unless intergovernmental cooperation was backed up by a strong civil society network.
7. The particular role of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) was defined in the Barcelona Declaration as follows: "Regular contacts among other European organs, in particular the Economic and Social Committee of the European Community, and their Mediterranean counterparts, would contribute to a better understanding of the major issues relevant in the Euro-
2 EESC opinion on The role and contribution of civil society organisations in the building of Europe (OJ C 329 of 17.11.1999)
3 See footnote 1
Mediterranean partnership." To this end, the EESC "is invited to take the initiative in establishing links with its Mediterranean counterparts and equivalent bodies".
8. The EESC has assumed an important role in ensuring the success of the Euromed partnership, and especially the success of its third pillar (partnership in social, cultural and human affairs). Since the beginning of the Barcelona Process, the Committee has:
• monitored the progress of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, adopting opinions on the Barcelona Process in general and providing its partners with regular updates on the progress of cooperation (the Committee has organised several fact-finding visits to MPCs - including Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Israel and Palestine – in order to promote dialogue between the economic and social partners in those countries and the Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions in the Euro-Mediterranean region);
• played a linking role by setting up contacts between representatives of organised civil society in the MPCs and European organisations;
• produced yearly reports on questions relating to Euro-Mediterranean cooperation with the active collaboration of the ESCs of the EU Member States and the MPCs;
• helped the Euro-Mediterranean Summits of Economic and Social Councils (ESCs) and similar institutions by preparing thematic reports and recommendations and providing technical, financial and logistical assistance, and taken part by sending representatives to the summits;
• coordinated the activities and work of the ESCs and similar institutions by chairing the follow-up meetings to the European Summits of ESCs;
• made recommendations on the financing of regional cooperation programmes;
• played an active role in Euro-Mediterranean discussions about economic and social issues;
• given advice and support to civil society organisations.
Civil society understanding of and involvement in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership
9. Despite the significant progress made since the Euro-Mediterranean partnership was launched, there are still many unresolved issues in relation to implementing the third pillar of the partnership, i.e. the social, cultural and human pillar. In particular the programmes are criticised for being limited and inconsistent, while the organisations involved face considerable obstacles in implementing measures.
10. The EESC believes that many of the weaknesses of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership are due to difficulties in effectively implementing the third pillar of the Barcelona Process and, above all, to the fact that the partnership overestimated the role that it could play in the social development of the MPCs. The EU should not overlook the fact that, unlike the MPCs, it was ripe for integration owing to the relative proximity of the philosophy, education and culture of its member states. The situation of the MPCs is completely different: despite their geographical proximity there are major social, economic and cultural differences both between the MPCs and between the MPCs and the EU countries4.
10.1 As regards the shortcomings with the third pillar of the partnership, the EESC would stress that there is clearly a perception in the South that Euro-Mediterranean cooperation is just about creating a free-trade area and not about social and cultural exchanges. The initial hopes for the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership now seem to have given way to disappointment and discouragement with Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, which is seen as being an instrument of the North. There is also widespread concern about the negative impact of EU enlargement on the MPCs.
11. While the bilateral association agreements prepare the way for vertical (north-south) contacts, horizontal integration (south-south) is still the main focus of EU support for the region. It should be noted that while EU bilateral relations with each of the MPCs are satisfactory, horizontal relations (i.e. between the MPCs) may be described as imperfect, antagonistic and sometimes hostile.
Part of the reason for this is that there are few examples of subregional cooperation initiatives, like the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU).
12. It is important to remember that business, trade and investment between the MPCs (regional cooperation) is very limited, representing less than 10% of their total external trade. Given this situation, it is particularly interesting to note that while almost all the MPCs belong to one of the oldest regional organisations in the Mediterranean (the Arab League, which was set up in 1945), they have not managed to achieve regional integration, owing in large measure to their weak economic growth.
12.1 The EU should not forget that economic development in many of the Arab MPCs is not always a top priority for the governments in question. The political structure of many MPCs obliges governments to focus more on issues of security and maintaining political systems than on economic growth.
12.2 The main obstacles to regional integration between the Arab MPCs are:
• lack of local political reform in the MPCs that would allow the creation of new approaches to regional integration;
4 EESC opinion on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership – review and prospects five years on (OJ C 36 of 8.02.2002)
• the bureaucracy prevailing in the MPCs, which is a very serious disincentive and obstacle to private initiatives;
• the low level of industrialisation, heavy dependence on export of raw materials and basic manufactured goods;
• the lack of trust and the suspicion that afflict relations between the MPCs.
12.3 Two particularly important factors in this context that signalled the will of the MPCs to achieve regional integration were the Agadir Declaration (of 8 May 2001) on setting up a free trade zone between Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, and the conference that took place on 19 January 2002 with the foreign ministers of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), where it was decided to continue AMU activities. These initiatives demonstrate the political will of the MPCs to cooperate at regional and subregional level and they should be supported by the EU.
13. In the context of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, civil society is defined on the basis of the European socio-economic framework. One of the key issues is to what extent and in what forms civil society exists in certain MPCs with different socio-economic, political and cultural systems.
13.1 There are a large number of organisations, associations and groups in the MPCs with various purposes and orientations. The EESC believes that the Euro-Mediterranean partnership should focus on existing civil society structures and that it is not essential for the EU to promote new structures from scratch based on its own model and conception of civil society.
13.2 Civil society in certain countries whose governments are generally wary of independent, unsupervised non-governmental organisations (NGOs) takes a different form from civil society in Europe, but that does not mean it is non-existent. The EU must therefore approach the concept of civil society from the point of view of its activities in the Mediterranean partner countries (MPCs), i.e. its role and functions in building dialogue between citizens and government.
The basic functions of organised civil society are:
• economic (business links, chambers of commerce, farmers' associations),
• professional (trade associations),
• unionising (trade unions),
• pensioners' organisations,
• social (religious communities, charities, women's organisations, family associations),
• environment, human rights, peace, consumer protection and sustainable development organisations,
• regional/local self-government.
14. The EESC believes that the notion of democracy in the Mediterranean countries cannot and should not be examined on the basis of Western criteria, though such examination should not lose sight of the fundamental democratic principles which pertain worldwide, have
been established as the result of major social struggles and have been recognised by international institutions and agreements. This seems to be a very sensitive issue for Euro- Mediterranean dialogue, which may fall prey to negative views and stereotypes that obstruct real dialogue. The concept of democracy is often very closely linked with the western model and, as a result, it is difficult for it to be fully accepted by the Euromed countries.
15. There is no doubt that an active civil society is the key to developing a strong, just and effective political system. For this reason the setting-up and genuine participation of NGOs and other civil society organisations must be encouraged. In addition, civil society organisations can act as the driving force for improving conditions in a country since their better understanding of prevailing situations allows them to intervene directly. Civil society organisations are often more effective than governments when it comes informing the general public about the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, a fact that has been one of the main problems of the partnership during the seven years of its existence.
16. The current decision-making process of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership is exclusively intergovernmental and affects areas where civil society organisations have expertise.
Their contribution to the development of the partnership should therefore be increased by including and allowing their representatives to be actively involved in meetings and decision-making, and by developing a consultative framework for the issues that are most relevant to them. It should be stressed that, in many MPCs, there are civil society organisations which are not informed or consulted about Euro-Mediterranean policies by their governments and which have not been involved to date in any kind of social dialogue or decision-making process. In particular, it should be pointed out that, in some cases, NGOs face major difficulties if they do not fall into line with certain government policies.
17. Unfortunately, civil society organisations in the MPCs are currently under-informed and under-involved with respect to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership by both their governments and by the EU itself. The EESC has taken important measures to provide information in the MPCs via the Economic and Social Councils (ESCs), but it notes that there is a lack of representation because some of the MPCs do not have ESCs (Egypt, Cyprus, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian territories), and that civil society organisations are underrepresented in the various events, owing either to insufficient information or insufficient resources.
17.1 The constant criticism which emerges in all studies and surveys is indicative of this, despite the EU's efforts to disseminate information, such as the newsletter on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation activities called "Euromed Synopsis", which is sent out to more than 3000 subscribers. In addition to the newsletter, there is a monthly Euromed Special Feature report focusing on specific areas of cooperation and on developments which merit detailed analysis. Information packs are also distributed by the official EU delegations.
18. The political and social systems of the MPCs have points in common, but they differ considerably with respect to the degree of pluralism in their societies, the way in which regional
disputes affect their political and socio-economic structures and the availability and effectiveness of their resources.
19. The EESC points out that, though there are differences between and within countries, poverty and marginalisation affect women in particular. Although progress has been made in enhancing women's socio-economic role, the EESC is concerned about the situation of women in certain MPCs. It notes that little attention is paid to the role of women in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and that very little has been achieved anywhere (problems remain such as high and growing rates of illiteracy, unemployment, job discrimination and poverty).
19.1 In this connection, the EESC notes that although the MEDA I-II provisions contain an explicit reference to promoting the socio-economic role of women, this has not been realised in practice. Involvement of women in European investment programmes is negligible owing to lack of proper information, financial and technological resources, and human resources.
20. Of particular concern is the fact that the Middle East is increasingly becoming a region of very serious conflict, which as well as having grave consequences for the people of Israel and Palestine, in many ways obstructs the building of a framework for cooperation among all the MPCs. A typical example of this is that many MPCs refuse to take part in dialogue when Israeli representatives are present. The international community must make a decisive commitment to put an end to the mindless violence, ensure application of the rule of law and respect for international agreements, and make it possible for humanitarian action already undertaken to continue without hindrance.
21. Following the events of 11 September, European politics have begun to show particular interest in the importance of small local communities. The EESC is especially alert to the protests of several human rights organisations in the MPCs that global action against terrorism is being used as a pretext for the abuse of power and the restriction of civil liberty.
22. In relation to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, the EESC is seriously concerned about support for programmes to promote civil society. It is particularly troubled by the issue of the free movement of individuals within the wider Euro-Mediterranean region, given that this freedom of movement has been restricted and that it is therefore more difficult to organise events involving representatives from civil society.
Civil society programmes and development of infrastructure
23. Civil society plays a role in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership at various levels.
Through civil society programmes (e.g. MEDA), the Commission funds measures in specific areas, both at bilateral and regional level. In addition, many civil society organisations have established other cooperative projects both with each other and with their counterparts.
24. All the Euro-Mediterranean programmes relating to civil society started on the basis of decentralised cooperation. This has been considered an innovative policy development tool since the 1980s and is designed to promote the full involvement in development programmes of those public and private interests that do not have direct access to governments or to EU institutions.
25. The concept of decentralised cooperation, and the transfer of initiatives and responsibilities to local authorities and civil society organisations, is therefore complementary to governmental initiatives. It is also designed to promote direct action to respond to specific public needs in areas such as the environment, town planning, youth work, local business, the social economy and cultural and religious dialogue. In addition to development objectives, typical activities aim to improve knowledge, promote the transfer of technical skills and include direct contact between civil society players in the MPCs.
26. On the basis of this idea, the Commission planned the first Euromed regional civil society programmes early in 1990 and implemented them in 1992. These programmes covered four areas: local authorities (Med-Urbs), small and medium sized enterprises (Med-Invest), university education (Med-Campus) and the media (Med-Media). Between 1992 and 1995 the programmes resulted in the creation of over 470 networks, which brought over 2,000 social partners into contact.
27. These programmes were suspended in October 1995 owing to internal problems with their management by the Commission (programme fragmentation, staff shortages, lack of transparency), to the detriment, in the EESC's view, of the continued development of organised civil society.
28. The first programmes, promoting the third chapter of the Barcelona process, were launched only in 1998, within the framework of the MEDA programme. These included the Euromed Heritage programme, Euromed Audiovisual a year later and then Euromed Youth at the end of 1999.
The EESC welcomes the fact that these programmes were so successful, approves of the decision to continue them and would underline the need to focus on launching other initiatives of this kind.
29. The MEDA Democracy programme deserves a special mention. It was set up in 1996 as a European Parliament initiative to fund regional and national NGO initiatives in the area of democracy, conflict resolution and human rights. This special programme was in line with the principles of the Barcelona Declaration although it was not funded under the MEDA budget (Β7-4100) but rather under "The European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights" (Β7-7050).
30. The EESC would also stress the political importance of the success of these programmes, as they go hand in hand with confidence-building measures for professionals and experts. The development of this type of network has a "pedagogic" effect, as those involved are obliged to agree on a common approach and to determine common objectives. Consequently, the development and support of such networks alone provides an opportunity for the Euromed partnership member states to work together.
31. Under MEDA II, the total budget for the programmes has been increased, and this is encouraging for the promotion of the Barcelona process. Of particular significance is the fact that two new programmes have been planned on human sciences and women's issues. The EESC notes that decentralised cooperation has unfortunately not been applied in any of the planned programmes. The only possible exception is the "Euromed Youth" programme, which operates on a smaller scale through NGO local-level measures, as opposed to activities requiring the establishment of major cooperation networks.
32. The EESC notes the fact that the programme budgets are high, ranging from
€100,000 to €4 million, thus excluding the involvement of smaller players or organisations that cannot afford to co-finance projects.
33. The EESC believes that the decision to focus on a small number of very high-budget strategic programmes works against the objective of having flexible processes that ensure maximum participation of civil society and awareness and effectiveness at grass-roots level.
34. The micro, small and medium-sized enterprise sector, which the governments of the MPCs are starting to take very seriously, is especially interesting. The governments of the MPCs did not pay much attention to this sector as it was considered to make only a marginal contribution to the economy, but now it is regarded as significant, especially owing to the fall in public-sector employment. This sector offers real opportunities for development and employment, and it may improve the role of women by allowing them to take an active part in the productive fabric. In the MPCs, the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise sector nevertheless faces many problems, mainly in relation to bureaucracy, the lack of social protection and an unfavourable legal and institutional environment.
34.1 Of real importance are the initiatives taken by employers' organisations, in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Summits and the UNIMED Business Network, to share successful experiences of North-South cooperation and to work more closely with southern organisations (in the MPCs). This decision led to the creation (on 1 March 2002) of the business confederation UMCE (Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises), to which all 12 MPCs now belong and whose main objectives are to support the horizontal (South-South) integration process and create a Euromed free trade area.
34.2 In addition, programmes such as Med-Enterprise and Med-Partnership, and the business centres funded by the Commission in eight of the MPCs, have proved very useful in establishing contacts between businesses in other countries and in the EU. Efforts should therefore be made to continue these initiatives and improve them in the future.
34.3 At the conference of the UNIMED Business Network (Rome 2003), business organisations expressed disappointment at the low level of investment, which is still a major problem in the MPCs. These organisations also plan to promote new investment in the Euro-Mediterranean region by further strengthening their links at national – as well as local and sectoral - level.
34.4 The International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) has set up a Mediterranean Committee which organises regular meetings between EU and MPC farmers' organisations to discuss various farming issues. The last meeting was held in Algeria in February 2003.
35. The EESC considers these initiatives to be extremely important and believes that the coordinated efforts of civil society can be used as a spur to south-south dialogue and cooperation. In particular, it points out that the bulk of financial support under the MEDA programme goes to NGOs, and asks the Commission to provide more funding for socio-professional organisations and to develop a network of top or middle managers for companies and public authorities who would facilitate socio- economic development and the acquisition of know-how and skills.
36. The EESC believes that as the objective is the rapprochement of a greater number of people, and not only those (the usual beneficiaries) who already have a connection with the EU, the need for small-scale projects is imperative, despite the management difficulties involved in their administration.
36.1 For the Euromed initiatives to have a real impact socially, it must be made easier for civil society organisations to access information about the programmes and procedures for requesting funding must be simplified, since it has been noted that there is considerable red tape. The EESC feels that, despite the very substantial level of funding, the MEDA programme is an unwieldy instrument which suffers from a lack of understanding and information on how it works, as well as complicated bureaucratic procedures.
37. The cooperation directorate EuropeAid, which replaced the Common Service for External Relations (SCR), is now being run in a more efficient and business-like fashion. The policy of decentralising the management of external relations is, in the EESC's opinion, a move in the right direction, as it allows greater flexibility in budget planning by European Commission representatives in the member states and enables small-scale measures to be planned at decentralised level. In particular, the EESC welcomes the increase in personnel numbers at the Commission delegations and the transfer of decision-making on project funding to delegation level, hoping that this will speed up procedures to get civil society more actively involved in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.
38. The EESC welcomes the decision taken in Valencia5 to set up a Euro-Mediterranean Foundation to promote a dialogue of cultures and to raise awareness of the Barcelona process through cultural, intellectual, religious and civil society exchanges. The EESC also commends the decision expressing the desire to launch a regional vocational training programme, which would also include the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Observatory on Employment and Training. In this context, the EESC believes that experienced senior managers should be able to make their contribution – based on
5 Fifth Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Ministers (Valencia, 22-23.4.2002)
their creativity and experience – to organisational growth and thus to the productive and economic system of the above-mentioned regions. This can be achieved either by training senior managers locally, or by helping companies that plan to set up in the countries concerned; or, finally, as part of migration flow management policies, by conducting in-house selection and training activities in companies that would like to recruit emigrants.
39. An equally important project to promote active civil society involvement is the Euromed TDS (Trade Distribution and Services Initiative) - set up in 1998 at the Second Euro- Mediterranean Conference on Trade, Distribution and Services (Messina, 22-23 October 1998) - which is a multilateral business network linking the national confederations of trade and services and the chambers of commerce of the MPCs.
40. It is important to highlight the outcome of the trade union conference held in Stuttgart in April 1999, and especially the setting up of the Euro-Med Trade Union Forum from 2001. While intensifying cooperation and trade union exchanges, this Forum aims to give substance to the social pillar of the partnership and Euro-Mediterranean social dialogue by progressively drawing up
"common trade union rules". This dialogue should be organised and structured in cooperation with the interested parties, including UMCE, and is expected to lead to the setting up of a Euro-Med Social Forum.
41. It is also useful to note the efforts of the various components of organised civil society towards improving the results of the Euro-Mediterranean Civil Forum by having an influence on the conditions under which it is set up, its composition and the choice of subjects it will examine, as well as its working and monitoring methods.
42. The main activities that have helped to encourage the development of consultative bodies and strengthen existing consultation and social dialogue institutions include the launch of the TRESMED programmes on the consultative role of the economic and social partners (run by the Spanish ESC) and social dialogue and social systems (run by the Mediterranean Institute in Rome).
43. The EESC also notes the need for ESCs to be set up without delay in MPCs that do not yet have them, starting with the Palestinian territories, since such bodies can help to promote dialogue.
44. Education plays an extremely important part in driving the Barcelona Process.
Although the concept of education is present in all the National Indicative Programmes, especially the TEMPUS programme, there is still an enormous need for improvements in education. The MPCs currently have high illiteracy rates, especially among women. Almost all the MPCs are countries in a state of development and transition. For the socio-economic transition of the MPCs to be smooth and systematic, it must be based on the acquisition, production and dissemination of knowledge.
Conclusions and proposals
45. The EESC also believes that it is necessary to facilitate the means by which civil society groups can benefit from the programmes. For the Euromed partnership initiatives to have a real impact socially, civil society organisations must have easy access to the necessary information and be free to take part without being excluded for bureaucratic reasons.
46. Improving the flow of information is a matter of crucial importance as there are major problems in this respect. There must also be an intensification of efforts to increase the visibility of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership at both national and local level. The EESC would stress that the European Commission delegations should provide appropriately trained experts, along the lines of business advisors, to respond to civil society needs at local level in order to support the interested parties and inform them of opportunities and matters relating to the Euromed partnership. It also stresses that the frequency of missions should be increased, while at the same time intensifying efforts to encourage the flow of information from MPC governments.
46.1 The EESC proposes setting up a Euro-Mediterranean network of Economic and Social Councils on the Internet, including national civil society organisations.
47. Intensified efforts should focus on establishing a framework for cooperation and systematic dialogue between the representatives of organised civil society and governments of the MPCs, rather than on setting up new bodies. Particular attention must be paid to setting up and funding NGOs in each MPC, especially NGOs involved with political issues, since these are often treated by the governments of MPCs as foreign intruders. A typical example is that of Saad Eddin Ibrahim of the Ibn Khaldun Centre for Development Studies, who was imprisoned by the Egyptian authorities on charges of fraudulent use of MEDA funding.
47.1 The EESC is aware of the specific problems caused in the region by extreme manifestations of religious fanaticism. It also agrees with the point made by President Prodi that the threat of terrorism cannot be used as a justification for curtailing political and social rights (speech by President Romano Prodi in Tunisia on 31 March 2003: "The fight against terrorism must not, however, be used as a pretext for curtailing social freedoms or for abandoning efforts to improve human rights. The fight against terrorism can be fought effectively by continuing to develop democracy and the rule of law.").
48. In addition to the aim of democratisation, civil society cooperation must seek to create common networks between the various communities. Increased contacts between organised civil society players, the social partners and other social operators will bolster essential dialogue. It is also necessary to continue providing political and financial support for relevant initiatives through the UNIMED Business Network, the UMCE (Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises) and the Euromed TDS, which play a key role in both vertical (north-south) and horizontal (south-south) economic integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
49. The EESC believes that the number of small-scale activities must be stepped up. The European Commission should review the existing trend towards funding "strategic" activities and re- assess the importance of "small" activities that have an impact on small population groups.
50. The EESC believes that cooperation at regional and subregional level should be stepped up. In order to maintain their national identity, culture, beliefs and history, the MPCs have only to join forces, determining the most appropriate ways of preserving their identity, and taking from the EU only those elements that will promote their social, political and economic modernisation.
In this context the EESC believes that the Euromed partnership can play a key role in regional integration between the MPCs, and that the EU can compensate for the lack of trust and confidence between them. Through the Barcelona Process the EU can and must act as a guarantor of ties between the regional partners and protect the integration process from the potential inability of partners to honour their commitments.
51. The EESC believes that the civil society programmes should be stepped up, in so far as it is possible to pool experience and skills not just between south and north. Although cooperation between the MPCs is still limited and relations between them are characterised more by distance and competition than by cooperation, civil society could act as a key factor in promoting dialogue between them.
52. The EESC believes greater efforts are needed to initiate serious and honest dialogue on issues such as human rights, dealing with terrorism and migration, as well as social and cultural affairs, and that further progress must be made in the business sphere, promoting the opening up of the MPCs' economies and implementation of the structural reforms required for them to compete in more open markets. The EESC also believes that protecting ethnic, religious and cultural minorities is a basic prerequisite for constructive continuation of the Barcelona Process.
53. The EESC considers matters relating to immigration policy - which have particular social, political and economic implications – to be of the utmost importance, and calls on the Com- mission to be particularly prudent and sensitive in order to avoid reaching an impasse in a few years' time.
54. The EESC advises the Commission and all the partner countries to coordinate their efforts to improve communication and sharing of views on cultural aspects of the programmes and implementation of Euromed cooperation policies with a view to developing a new approach to women's situation and rights, one that is untainted by religious or racial stereotypes and based on analysing and discussing the presence and role of women in the modern world.
55. The EESC believes it would be very useful for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to be involved in the social and economic development of the Mediterranean region, especially in strengthening civil society organisations.
Brussels, 9 September 2003.
The President of the
Section for External Relations
Ann Davison
The Rapporteur of the
Section for External Relations
Dimitrios Dimitriadis The Secretary-General
of the
European Economic and Social Committee
Patrick Venturini
