6 May Euro-Mediterranean meeting

Date: 15/05/1997

EU DIPLOMATS finally managed to complete a joint declaration with their Mediterranean counterparts in the small hours of the morning of 7 May, three weeks after their ministers met in Malta. Officials said the document which emerged was little more than a reaffirmation of the Barcelona declaration of 1995, but did mark a success of sorts given the obstacles it had to overcome. Technically, the declaration is now official, as ministers empowered their officials to complete it following the Malta summit. Nevertheless, it seems likely that EU foreign ministers will rubber-stamp the text at their next meeting. It is unclear what Mediterranean ministers will do.

THE final declaration expressed “deep concern about the obstacles which are blocking the Middle East peace process” and stressed “the need for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East”. It took ministers almost two days to agree on this formulation at Malta, which is why they left it to officials to complete the rest of the text later.

BOTH sides noted efforts to complete a charter for peace and stability in the Euro-Mediterranean region, observing that there was now a platform to achieve “common objectives in the rule of law, democracy and human rights”. They charted the Euro-Med's gradual progress towards creating a free trade zone - association agreements are now initialled between all partners except Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria and Syria - and the setting up of Euro-Mediterranean customs unions. There was some disagreement over the desirability of free trade by 2010 as an objective. The Mediterranean partners were keen to stress the costs it could bring, while the EU wanted to highlight the benefits. Both sides settled for a more neutral formula.

THE declaration called for faster negotiations on the remaining association agreements, and ratification of those already signed. It also called for regional measures to harmonise laws with the EU internal market. The two sides underlined the importance of a more systematic approach to private investment in the region through better dissemination of information and more favourable investment conditions. Diplomats agreed to start Euro-Med programmes to restructure agriculture, stimulate trade in farm products, develop regional infrastructure and transfer technology. They also agreed to continue talks on debt alleviation.

FINALLY, diplomats called for continued regional cultural exchanges, joint approaches to illegal immigration, active cooperation in the fight against the drug trade, and joint campaigns to combat racism and xenophobia. Syria and Lebanon placed formal reserves on suggestions that the two sides should cooperate against terrorism, marring an otherwise consensual text.