“Toward a partnership of hope”

This week we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in the city where it all began: Barcelona. I am proud of having chaired the first meeting, which was aimed at turning the Mediterranean into an area of security, solidarity, and shared exchanges. The beginning of the partnership was part of Europe’s reaction to the end of the Cold War and globalization. It recognizes our independence and creates a “Mediterranean identity”. We discuss all topics openly and the Barcelona partnership is a wonderful lab of ideas.
Since 1995, however, the world has changed, especially since September 11, 2001. The Mediterranean is running the risk of turning itself into the crossroads of several problems of the modern world. Our association must be capable of facing poverty, chaos, trafficking in human beings, and political extremism. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership is not the only instrument of international cooperation but the most developed one. It’s also the only instrument aimed at promoting security and reform.
It’s true that the process of Barcelona is the result of the cherished hopes of the Oslo Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It’s also true that the absence of peace between Israelis and Palestinians darken our work. But the Barcelona partnership was aimed at supporting the peace process and not to supplant it. Today, Europe encourages the peace agreement and it’s first in being generous to the Palestinians. Our goal is to promote democracy and security at the same time. We believe they are both linked and we support democratic reforms in the region. Likewise, we’ll deal with the problems related to education and immigration.