- 1 -
- 1 -
EESC COMMUNICATION
ON THE PARTICIPATION OF EURO-MEDITERRANEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCILS AND SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
IN THE UNION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
Nice, 7 April 2009
Having regard to the conference on Responding to the challenges of sustainable development in the Mediterranean, held by the Sustainable Development Observatory and the Euromed Follow-up Committee of the European Economic and Social Committee in Nice on 6-7 April 2009 in conjunction with the Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions of the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Having regard to its conclusions and perspectives:
Sustainable development issues are a cause for common concern throughout the Mediterranean and, as a consequence, the need to engage in common projects has now become a bridge and a link uniting all Mediterranean nations.
The role played by the Mediterranean Sea, which unites its coastal regions, and by water in general with respect to the quality of life in its surrounding countries provides a special dimension, which has to be taken into immediate consideration when mobilising the resources required for their conservation.
Discussion and action on concrete projects are the best way to overcome political difficulties and past grievances.
The representatives of organised civil society assert that they are in advance of diplomats and politicians.
Although the problems are the same, economic, social and environmental conditions vary. The ongoing worldwide economic and financial crisis may delay the implementation of policies to reduce CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases and to develop renewable energy sources. These investments possess the very countercyclical properties that facilitate and prepare the way for economic recovery by improving the environment and conserving a fragile ecosystem.
Climate change also imposes the need to anticipate and manage transition periods in a social, fair and equitable way through forecast management in the areas of employment, skills and vocational training, in line with ILO labour standards (the provisions of the eight core conventions).
To be effective, the Partnership should:
a) manage information and good practice sharing,
b) manage affordable technology transfers,
c) facilitate youth mobility for training purposes based on temporary immigration that does not cause a skills drain in the country of origin, and on fairer visa policies,
d) hold regular meetings to ensure follow up for the Union for the Mediterranean process,
e) involve local stakeholders in deciding needs and objectives and assessing the effectiveness of outcomes,
f) support the implementation of integrated water resource management according to resource pools in a culture of peace and conflict reduction, despite persisting differences,
g) optimise the global water and sanitation programme of the United Nations Environment Programme, the WHO and the 2002 Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development in the region,
h) recognise the qualifications of partner countries by creating a framework for the mutual recognition of qualifications and diplomas.
Having regard to the Declaration of the Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions held in Rabat on 14-16 October 2008:
The European Economic and Social Committee reiterates its commitment to and support for the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean – renamed The Union for the Mediterranean by the Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Marseille on 3 and 4 November 2008 – in proposals and a statement addressed to the co-presidencies of the Union for the Mediterranean:
1. recalling the importance of the Union for the Mediterranean initiative, which aimed to give new impetus to Euro-Mediterranean relations by building on the achievements of the Barcelona Process, and by providing the citizens of the region with concrete advantages through the implementation of projects;
2. supporting the goal of giving greater prominence to relations between the European Union and partner Mediterranean countries and of promoting reforms aimed at strengthening governance and participatory democracy;
3. believing that overall political relations between the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region cannot be managed solely through intergovernmental channels, but require the involvement of local and regional parliaments and authorities, as well as organised civil society;
4. noting that the Union for the Mediterranean intends to launch key projects in the following areas: the de-pollution of the Mediterranean Sea, maritime and land highways, civil protection, alternative energies, higher education and research, and business development, which combine together to form a rights-based framework for economic, social and environmental development;
5. valuing the fact that the Union for the Mediterranean wishes to pursue the objectives of the 1995 Barcelona Declaration and the 2005 work programme and transform them into key regional projects in the areas of energy, transport, agriculture, the environment, economic dialogue, industrial cooperation, and to map out a genuinely social dimension for the Euro-Mediterranean partnership;
6. believing, in this context, that all the initiatives and projects developed under the Union for the Mediterranean will have to take account of the social dimension and promote social cohesion, which are essential to the sustainable development of partner countries, and welcoming the decision taken by employment and labour ministers in Marrakesh in November 2008 to set up a "Social Dialogue Forum";
7. emphasising that by their composition (representatives of employers, trade unions, farmers, consumers and various NGOs), their expertise and grassroots knowledge, Economic and Social Councils can play an important role in defining, monitoring and evaluating Union for the Mediterranean projects, and that their involvement would ensure greater transparency, effectiveness and legitimacy for the initiatives of the Union for the Mediterranean;
8. recalling, moreover, that Economic and Social Councils are forums for consultation and debate that may prove particularly useful in ensuring dialogue and in evaluating concrete projects despite a difficult political climate;
9. welcoming the European Parliament's statement in its Resolution of 19 February 2009 on the Union for the Mediterranean that "… in parallel with the enhancement of the parliamentary dimension, a similar development is required in securing the involvement of civil society within the appropriate institutional structure of the Union for the Mediterranean …";
10. believing that conferring greater responsibility on Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean would contribute to the emergence of multilevel governance and the development of participatory democracy and respect for human rights in the Euro-Mediterranean region;
11. regretting that the Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions were not involved in the consultation process on the establishment of the Union for the Mediterranean via their network, which has been in place since 1995, especially since the success of this initiative will depend on the active participation of civil society, and the private sector in particular;
12. recalling the existence of networks already established under the Barcelona Process and the energy and wealth they have to offer in improving cooperation, and reaffirming that the cooperation network of Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions is prepared to work closely with the bodies of the Union for the Mediterranean;
calls on the public and political authorities of the UfM, at all levels, to:
a) facilitate the participation of local citizen and consumer associations in deciding and implementing future projects irrespective of their dimensions, as soon as they are conceived, before they are set up, and including follow up in order to adapt expensive publicly and privately financed projects as closely as possible to needs by basing them on concrete cases and methods presented during the Nice Conference, namely the Contrat de Baie de Toulon-Provence-Mediterranée and Hydro-diplomacy: examples of integrated water resource management by resource pool[1], in order to provide a format for local and citizen participation, share good practice, disseminate methods, and create transparent conditions that restore confidence;
b) hold tenders contracted between public and private partners that reconcile principles of corporate social responsibility, specifications based on the above-mentioned consultations, and the responsibility of local authorities;
c) pay particular attention to the tripartite economic, social and environmental dimensions of impact assessments carried out on projects;
d) take positive action on the social partners' request to set up a tripartite "Social Dialogue Forum" bringing the public authorities and the social partners together in a consultative forum of social partners that ensures that all can express their views freely;
calls on the public authorities and the social partners of the Euro-Mediterranean region, BusinessMed and the Euromed Trade Union Forum to clarify their role with respect to the resolution of ongoing conflicts and the promotion of human rights in general and at work;
intends to follow up the impact of the conclusions of the conference on Responding to the challenges of sustainable development in the Mediterranean by disseminating them at future events held by the EESC's Euromed Follow-up Committee and the National Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions, and in particular at the 2010 annual Summit;
suggests that the cooperation network of Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions be granted observer status within the Union for the Mediterranean, as has already been done for the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) and, upon the Committee of the Regions' request, for the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), to enable civil society organisations to play an active role in the Union for the Mediterranean and to stay abreast of and participate fully in decisions that concern them;
recommends setting up a Euro-Mediterranean Assembly of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (EMAESCI) which would have consultative body status within the Union for the Mediterranean.
______
[1]