Euro-Mediterranean Partnership - Essay Example

PARTNERSHIP RESEARCH PROPOSAL Barcelona process or the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership had been the recent attempt to expand regional and bilateral cooperation through European Union. Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Barcelona on 27-28 November 1995 was the starting point of Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and this is a vast framework of political, social and economic relations between the member states of EU and Partners of the Southern Mediterranean. Cyprus and Malta newly joined, Mediterranean partners are: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and turkey, while Libya remains an observer since 1999. This is ambitious initiative on regional relationship with three main objectives: 1. "The definition of a common area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political and security dialogue (Political and Security Chapter). 2. The construction of a zone of shared prosperity through an economic and financial partnership and the gradual establishment. 3. The rapprochement between peoples through a social, cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies (Social, Cultural and Human Chapter)." http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/euromed/index.htm It is an ambitious initiative with bilateral and regional dimensions and multilateral dimension supports, in the increasingly globalised world. Under MEDA programme, they are creating partnerships in all aspects like regional integration, socio-economic balance and financial and technical assistance. Despite these, in 2005 convention, it is noted MEDA was "created at the initiative of the European Parliament in 1996, the program grants aids to no-profit associations, Universities, Research Centres and public Bodies in order to realize projects aimed at promoting democracy, freedom of expression and association, and safeguarding specific groups, such as women, young people and minorities. The granted funds for this kind of projects can total a maximum of 80%" http://www.euromedi.org/inglese/home/partenariato/partenariato.asp). Despite these, in 2005 convention, it is noted that MEDA had very slow advancement. Some of the issues enshrined in the partnership are peace, security, stability, good governance and democracy, sustainable economic development and reform, education and socio-cultural exchanges, justice, migration and social integration, human rights and democratisation, political and security cooperation, information and communication technology, trade, financial cooperation, dialogues between two or more cultures, and the visibility of the process. It has announced that heredity sites would be maintained and safeguarded, 'Creating a future that care for the past'. "Its aim was to conserve and inventory manuscripts held in small libraries dotted throughout North Africa and the Near East, thus preserving the books and the wisdom they contain," Euro Mediterranean Partnership (2002, p.14). Main topics that would be investigated in the Research are as follows: 1. Illegal immigration into prosperous countries, an annoying issue that has to be controlled and guided in a proper way. Most of the European countries are facing problems due to illegal immigration and are trying to find ways and means of curbing them, while legal immigration would be encouraged. EU is facing extensive confusion as a result of illegal immigration. Research would probe into this matter and would try to present a clearer picture. 2. Security and Terrorism are the two issues that have been haunting every country today, and more so, the Western powers. After the fanatic Muslim movement lifted its ugly head in certain regions, curbing it has become the priority issue to all affected countries. Research would investigate these issues with other connected problems like fanaticism in European countries, growth of terrorist activities, help from Middle East countries in controlling training camps for potential terrorists and also taking action on across border terrorism. 3. Most of the educated and well-trained lot would prefer to migrate into well-developed countries, causing a brain drain in the developing countries. Research would focus on how this issue could be discouraged without blocking opportunities to the best brains, and try at the same time to create equal opportunities at home countries. 4. North African countries are under heavy political and economic pressure. Some of them like Libya are ruled by dictators and EU stresses on a democratic rule and this had been a bone of contention for a very long time now. Dictators naturally would not relinquish their rule, or change into popular leadership only to please the EU and its members. EU countries had been wary of such situations and this has remained a hindrance ever since. EU countries and other Western powers always had a way of vociferously arguing that their breed of democracy is the best government and hence, should be followed by the rest of the world. Research would find out the conflict areas, disagreement zones, impossible-to-cross ideological mountains, while also trying to find out the economic problem areas facing the North African countries. 5. Culture clash is a much recent area of absolute misunderstanding and confrontation. Partnership has created an atmosphere where two cultures are facing one another in eyeball-to-eyeball situation. Research will make a great effort to understand these cultures, find out ways of minimum confrontation, and would find solutions of dealing with an alien culture without hoping that the other culture would not exist and destruction of it is the only way out. LITERARY REVIEW: "For the EU, the aftermath to 11 September has made it urgent to reconsider Europe's relationships with Arab countries. The initial tendency, as in any project of partnership or coalition building, could be towards an accommodation with the powers that be, and to turn a blind eye to the repression of Islamist movements," Gillespie (2002, p.195). Security crisis and terrorism issue are the overriding factors in the Partnership meetings and it is difficult to ignore the underlying tensions. "While Arab-Israeli tension was the overriding reason for the failure to agree a Stability Charter, wariness within the EU about new security arrangements was also a significant factor," Gomez (2003, p. 78). The New Neighbourhood Policy of EU is outlined differently. "EU aims for Mediterranean countries and other adjacent countries to adopt all or nearly all the acquis communautaire in exchange for "deep integration" and participation in most programmes," http://www.climnet.org/Euromed.htm "The partnership is the only forum that has brought together for the past ten years all of the Mediterranean Rim countries, including Israel. The process was created as a joint project, a genuine partnership between the EU and the countries of the Southern Mediterranean region. A climate of trust and dialogue has been established between Arabs, Europeans, Israelis and Turks and has been favourable to the European Union's external presence," http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/european-union_157/eu-in-the-world_1491/eu-mediterranean-dialogue_1498/the-euro-mediterranean-partnership_2853.html Relationships between partners are ruled more by the differences than similarities. "Difference rather than commonality comes to the fore in relations between the EU and the non-Member States in the Mediterranean basin" http://www.isanet.org/archive/whitman.html At the same time, partnership is facing many unfinished tasks and unattained goals. "The Conference on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean (CSCM) proposed by Italy and Spain in September 1990 that would extend beyond the Mediterranean basin to encompass the Middle East has not yet been realised. In the absence of any alternative multilateral structure the EU's EMP represents an attempt by the Union to play the leading role in the pacification of sources of potential instability it has identified in the region by offering a partnership that has yet to be realized." METHODOLOGY Research methodology will depend on books, journals and electronic media and sources. Primary material will come from books written on EU, its policies, Euro Mediterranean Partnership and connected areas. There are many booklets and reports on the Partnership committee meetings and branches of its working region. All connected institutions have published their annual reports that should be a source of information. Newspapers and Journals would form another interesting dimension of the research. It will also depend on interviews, formal and informal conversations with the primary policy makers. Key officials of Partnership can provide interesting insights and a peep into the future policies of the institution. I feel, this being comparatively an unexplored area, there should be extensive scope for a research. Research can bring up many interesting questions and solutions that might be useful in future. As this Partnership is an unprecedented one, it is stepping into areas that are not yet familiar to any of the partners. A scholarly research should be able to bring out the core points with many interesting supporting issues. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, Euromed Heritage, (2002), Communities. 2. Gomez, Ricardo ((2003), Negotiating the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, Ashgate, Hampshire. 3. Gillespie, Richard (2002, ed. The European Union and Democracy Promotion, Frank Cass, London. 4. Waller, Michael, Coppieters, Bruno and Malashenko, Alexei (1998), Conflicting Loyalties and the State in Post-Soviet Russia and Eurasia, Frank Cass, London. Online sources: 1. http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/euromed/index.htm 2. http://www.euromedrights.net/English/barcelona-process/EMP/main.html 3. http://www.emwis.org/IFP/EMP.htm 4. http://www.climnet.org/Euromed.htm 5. http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/european-union_157/eu-in-the-world_1491/eu-mediterranean-dialogue_1498/the-euro-mediterranean-partnership_2853.html 6. http://www.euromedi.org/inglese/home/partenariato/partenariato.asp 7. http://www.isanet.org/archive/whitman.html Read More