Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-14-Speech-2-167"
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"en.20001114.6.2-167"2
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"Mr President, since the Barcelona conference and now on the eve of the Marseilles conference, as has already been said, a great deal has taken place in the Mediterranean region. It is true that this Conference is going to take place in a context of violence and of a peace crisis as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, but it is also true that holding the conference will enable us to keep the flame of the Euro-Mediterranean process burning and that it should not be contaminated by the tragic conflict. There are many common problems that are currently affecting the Euro-Mediterranean area: illegal immigration, poverty, foreign debt, human rights, drought and terrorism, which mercilessly destroys the lives of innocent individuals and families, as we are tragically experiencing in Spain, Algeria and the Middle East.
Now more than ever we need to proclaim that only regional cooperation, dialogue with civil society, economic and cultural exchange, solidarity and mutual understanding can make the two shores of the Mediterranean a prosperous and peaceful area. The Commission and the Council need to urgently undertake what was agreed in Feira and they need to make a common policy for the development of the Mediterranean region viable. We cannot and must not waste our human resources, our agricultural, industrial or traditional craftsmanship resources which, along with such vital products as oil, gas and new technologies, should be basic tools for the development of a Mediterranean society that is much more balanced, fair and competitive than at present.
Mr President, I will come back to the conflict in the Middle East; not two months ago, the Presidents of the Israeli Parliament and the Palestinian Assembly united in this House with the President of the European Parliament, in a plea for peace and harmony, and we all joined in hearty applause for that gesture. When weapons replace words, dialogue and understanding, the foundation and substance of democracy that is Parliament fails, and this is also our failure. It is a warning call to the European Union to play a much more active role in the Mediterranean area, which historically and culturally has enriched our European continent. It would be an error not to take on the leading role that history requires of us.
In addition, I also think, Commissioner, that the borders that geo-politics demands should serve to prevent the free movement of those who make a way of life out of organised crime, the trafficking of arms, drugs and human beings and particularly terrorism, a way of life that is condemned by all civilised countries. Let us make borders a real filter for crime and criminals, and not a barrier to development, culture or the prosperity of peoples. The European Union needs a new culture of immigration and a better management of migration flows. The European Union is jointly responsible, with the countries of origin, for immigration and for organising those migration flows, which are so necessary for the development of the region."@en1
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