Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-07-Speech-4-026"
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".
Mr President, I too should like to congratulate Mrs Kratsa and the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities because not only is this a report of substance, it also puts the question of women's rights straight back on the Euro-Mediterranean agenda.
The Barcelona process is basically a means for dialogue between the Community and the countries of the Mediterranean. Needless to say, this dialogue cannot simply be based either on the principles of the European Union or on the principles underpinning the regimes in these countries. It has to be based on international law, human rights conventions, the Beijing declaration, which these countries have signed – all the international texts and conventions which place women's rights at the heart of human rights, bringing us back to the question of the gender dimension of foreign policy. Because the Barcelona process is one of the ways used to develop the European Union's foreign policy.
I should like to inform the House that the Commission has already taken an initiative to adopt a text of recommendations and principles in the hope that it will be accepted by the foreign ministers and will govern every contract and agreement between the European Union and third countries as regards women's rights and the gender dimension of foreign policy. The Commissioner responsible for foreign policy issues and I have already held initial talks. The first conference of international experts on the matter has been organised and will be held some time in April. Our aim is to have an established programme of recommendations and agreements in principle at political level by 2003. Of course, we shall be holding separate discussions on this with the Committee on Women's Rights, I imagine very soon, once we have the full programme and timetable, so that we can discuss a specific text with the parliamentary committee.
The financial tools for the Barcelona process are ΜEDA I and ΜΕDA II. But, as you rightly said, we have no reason to be especially proud of the results of ΜEDA I as far as the social sector and women's issues and rights are concerned. The difficulties are caused, in large part, by our inability to close the gap between administrative systems and, in even larger part, by differences in principle. The objective of the ΜEDA IΙ programme is to create a free trade zone between Europe and the Mediterranean countries in the long term, by 2010 and, within it, to implement programmes which will help these countries develop economically, along with social and economic measures to support this economic development. And, at the heart of these measures, there must be measures for women and for involving women in education, the job market and social and economic life.
It is the Commission's job, following the forum held during the Belgian presidency, to prepare a specific regional programme during 2002 containing measures on the job market, women's networks and easier access for women to financing by developing initiatives which also relate to training.
This report will provide a great deal of input into the final programme which the Commission presents but, in closing, I must stress that I believe that any regional programme, irrespective of how much funding it has, if it is not applied within the framework of international agreements – I repeat this because the approach on the European side is often considered paternalistic – so I repeat that this programme will only succeed and bring in the results we all hope for if it is applied within the framework of international agreements, the Beijing declaration on respect for human rights and respect for women's rights."@en1
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