Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-12-11-Speech-2-183"
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"en.20011211.10.2-183"2
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". – In re-invigorating the Barcelona process we are strengthening the existing institutions of the Euro-Med partnership and moving ahead in a number of key areas.
Concerning the association agreements, 2001 started with the good news of Egypt’s decision to initial the association agreement and negotiations are ongoing with Algeria, Lebanon and Syria. My second point concerns the association agreement signatories developing free trade between each other. We are encouraging each association agreement signatory to agree on free trade arrangements with the others so as to facilitate economic cooperation and inward investment. The Commission is working with the countries which have already started this process to see where technical advice can best be provided to help partners reach agreement. In parallel we are working on the rules of origin to see how the partners can be brought into the pan-European system.
In order to lay the basis for a Euro-Med internal market so as to fully exploit the future free trade area, we are assisting our partners to bring their regulatory frameworks closer to ours. During 2001 the Commission has further developed a concept of the Euro-Med internal market, provided information about its implications and opportunities, and we have paid particular attention to internal market issues in MEDA programming. Cooperation is being strengthened across a range of sectors. The regional economic dialogue is being reinforced with future discussions focusing on growth and employment. MEDA is being used to examine certain infrastructure needs from a regional or subregional perspective and, where appropriate, to draw up strategies for interconnection and for linkage with the trans-European networks to ensure that priority projects are funded and implemented.
Together with our partners we are developing a new regional MEDA programme on justice and home affairs and are engaged in discussions on these issues bilaterally in relation to the provisions of the association agreements and in MEDA programming.
Concerning new instruments and mechanisms, in recognition that cooperation between Europe and Mediterranean countries cannot be solely political or economic, the Commission is looking at ways to initiate a new broad-based cultural dialogue in the Mediterranean region. In this regard, in addition to the programmes which are currently being implemented to support cooperation in cultural heritage, audiovisual activities and youth exchanges, the Commission is examining the feasibility of extending the TEMPUS programme for higher education to the Mediterranean region.
With regard to new structures for dialogue, the Commission will bring forward proposals to adapt the working methods of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, in particular to provide for more frequent political dialogue on regional and international issues. The Commission will launch a policy dialogue with the Mediterranean partners on employment policy, sharing EU experience on ways of combating unemployment and of creating new jobs. It will work to improve the available information and statistics as part of ongoing efforts to channel legal migration and to combat illegal migration.
Finally, the Commission will consider ways to stimulate investment and joint development projects in the Mediterranean, for example by studying the need for, and feasibility of, a new bank or other financing mechanism, building on the European Investment Bank.
Let me add some information concerning the performance this year of the activities in the MEDA programme. For this year, there are commitments under MEDA of about EUR 740 million in the budget which are expected to be fully implemented. The same is true of other budget lines benefiting the Mediterranean partners. As far as payments are concerned, they are expected to represent over 56% of commitments this year to reach nearly half a billion euro, in fact the best ever result achieved in the region.
This year is also the first year of the implementation of the revised MEDA regulation which puts in place mechanisms for more coherent programming of the aid, better coordination both with partners and with the other major donors, and more streamlined approval procedures inside the EU. Consultations have already taken place with the partners and with the other donors on the country and regional strategy papers covering 2002 to 2006 and on the more detailed national and regional indicative programmes for 2002 to 2004. All these documents should be approved by the end of the year. I am reporting these details because I do not want to miss this opportunity to inform Parliament about the MEDA Programme which has been quite problematic in the past. We are now seeing some light at the end of the tunnel."@en1
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