Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-10-Speech-3-040"
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"en.20020410.2.3-040"2
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"Mr President, the Valencia Summit is most likely to be remembered just for having been held. Obviously, as both the rapporteur and the Commission stated, the Barcelona Process must not be confused with the Middle East peace process. It is also obvious however that there can be no Barcelona Process without peace in the Middle East. I should therefore like to congratulate the Spanish Presidency on its efforts to bring about peace.
To my knowledge, the Barcelona declaration is the most strongly worded declaration in existence on this issue. The presence of the President of the Council at the Arab League Summit was a first. The mission to the Middle East did take place. That was a success in itself. Further, it succeeded in retaining its dignity. There was no meeting with Mr Arafat, but none with Mr Sharon either.
I should also like to say how pleased I am that the EU-Israel Association Council has been convened, as well as the Madrid meeting. This process has to guarantee the security and viability of two states, the Palestinian State and the State of Israel.
Having clarified the relationship between the peace process and the Barcelona Process, I have to say that in my view the Commission is being unduly self-congratulatory. True, progress has been made regarding the Association Agreement, the Agadir Process has been launched and a development process tentatively put in train. As I understand it, however, all this is simply a drop in the ocean.
A single statistic suffices to indicate the gap between what is required and the current situation. The Commission has correctly stated that 45 million new jobs need to be created in the coming decade just to retain the present levels of poverty and unemployment. If this is not achieved, the growth of fundamentalism will threaten the security of our southern borders, as Mr Morillon and other speakers pointed out. Our internal security will also be compromised, due to the increased flow of illegal immigration. I therefore believe that Mr Esteve has chosen the points to highlight in his report wisely. I also believe that if we are to move on from words to action we must set up a Euro-Mediterranean Assembly. This would serve as a spearhead, breathing new life into the process and speeding it up, which is urgently required.
I am glad more speakers from non-Mediterranean countries have taken the floor. This has not often been the case when we have dealt with these issues in the past. It suggests that the European Union is starting to understand that it needs to look South as well as East if it is to ensure its own survival."@en1
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