New life for Euro-Med

Addressing the Mediterranean Forum, foreign minister Michael Frendo called for the revitalisation of the Euro-Med partnership, by MaltaMedia News:

..In presenting a Maltese paper on the reform of the working methods of the Barcelona process which commemorated its tenth anniversary last November, Minister Frendo said that “the Barcelona Process is also as strong as its structures and mechanisms to take forward and activate the commitments made politically”. In its paper Malta made reference to the ideas paper of the EU paper on reform of the working methods of Barcelona which includes such ideas as the introduction of a co-presidency, alternating venues of meetings, the possible setting up of a Euro-Med Secretariat, and the best use of the potential of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures based in Alexandria, Egypt, the first common institution jointly established and financed by all 35 members of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

Dr Frendo emphasised the work being done by the Study Group on the Working Methods of the Barcelona Process which is being chaired by Malta’s Ambassador Alfred Zarb. He said that the Study Group needs to continue to meet during 2007 to made suggestions for more effective and efficient working methods which give more co-ownership and greater visibility for the process. A regular channel through meetings of Brussels-based diplomats in between meetings of senior officials was also suggested in order to prepare the ground for more focused meetings by the Officials and by the Ministers.

Minister Frendo also called for the strengthening of the Anna Lindh Foundation which required greater visibility and greater effectiveness to carry forward the ambitions of all partners for the Barcelona Process and particularly its cultural and dialogue aspects which are so fundamental to the success of the Euro-Med Partnership...It was agreed that Malta would present the non-paper on the reform of the working methods, as enhanced following the debate at the ForoMed, would be presented to the Meeting of EuroMed Foreign Ministers in Tampere in November. The meeting adopted the Alicante Declaration on the Middle East and on the continuation and deepening of the Euro-Arab Dialogue...

Is the EuroMed process going off the rails?