Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-01-20-Speech-4-097-000"
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"en.20110120.6.4-097-000"2
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"Madam President, exactly three years ago, the European Parliament endorsed the Black Sea Synergy. This was the first step towards a coherent policy in one of the most sensitive areas in Europe, and it was a step in the right direction because the Black Sea is now widely analysed – and feared – as a converging space of political, strategic and security hopes, strengths and ambitions.
Today, our policy in the area can be further developed. This House can play a crucial role in upgrading EU policies to a fully-fledged EU strategy. This is actually the main idea in the report I initiated with the support of my colleagues from the Foreign Affairs Committee and Parliament as a whole.
But why a new report on the Black Sea and why an EU strategy for the Black Sea? Some people would say that the Black Sea is a small sea. Indeed it is, but if we exchange this map for a strategy map, the Black Sea becomes huge. There is also another factor: the Black Sea is getting blacker and blacker.
Since the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, the Black Sea is now partially an internal EU sea. However, developments in the region are often unpredictable: tensions accumulate and misunderstandings abound. A summary analysis of the Black Sea region leads to the conclusion that the negative challenges in this area persist or are, indeed, gaining in intensity. The Georgia-Russia war of 2008, the unsolved and so-called ‘frozen’ conflicts, and the worrying deterioration of democratic rule in Ukraine and Russia are all very serious developments and vivid examples of the security risks in the area.
If we examine the current results of EU involvement in the region, they seem at least mixed. The EU policy approach towards the Black Sea lacks mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation and follow-up. The Black Sea region is not visible enough in debates in Brussels, and EU funding for the region is fragmented and complicated.
While building upon the merits of the Black Sea Synergy which we adopted three years ago, a new EU strategy for the Black Sea should put in place a stronger policy and concrete tools. Let me mention just two of the recommendations in the report. The first concerns adequate resources: if the EU wants to play a key role in the Black Sea region, it needs to devote adequate resources, both financial and human. The creation of a separate budget line in the EU budget is vital. The second recommendation is for the elaboration of an EU action plan with clear objectives and tasks, including regular ministerial-level meetings of the relevant countries.
The EU strategy for the Black Sea should not underestimate, or overestimate, any state in the area. The principles of inclusiveness and regional ownership should be reflected in an important role for Turkey and Russia, but also for all the regional partners, in the success of regional cooperation.
To conclude, I should like to thank all my colleagues for their very positive contributions to the final version of this report. I think we all agree that this House expects the Commission and the Council to turn this report into reality. The strategic and beneficial involvement of the EU in the Black Sea region should become a fact."@en1
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