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EURO-MEDITERRANEAN SUMMIT
OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCILS
AND SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Valencia, 18 and 19 November 2004
FINAL DECLARATION
1.The representatives of economic and social councils and similar institutions, together with the representatives of socio-occupational organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean partner countries which do not have an ESC or similar institution, meeting in Valencia, Spain on 18 and 19 November 2004, warmly thank the Economic and Social Council of the Kingdom of Spain, the Government of the Community of Valencia and the Valencia City Council for their hospitality and their contribution to the success of the Summit.
The participants:
1.1whereas there is a need for all concerned to intensify their efforts to create social, economic and cultural conditions that promote the establishment of peace, security and stability in the Euro-Mediterranean region;
1.2whereas their efforts to promote dialogue, exchange and cooperation amongst organisations representing economic and social interests incorporate the inviolable value of human life, the unreserved rejection of all forms of terrorism, violence, intolerance and prevarication and contribute to creating conditions that favour the peaceful and negotiated resolution of all disputes and conflicts;
1.3whereas it is a matter of some urgency that organised civil society be involved, or more involved, in modernising the economy so as to ensure that ongoing changes are fair, a prerequisite for preventing the marginalisation of the poorest social sectors and for contributing to the achievement of social cohesion, welfare, compliance with the principles of good governance, and more democracy;
1.4whereas it is important to create conditions that ensure a steadier flow of investment towards Mediterranean Partner Countries;
1.5whereas negotiations for an association agreement with Syria have been satisfactorily concluded and the progress made in relations with Libya with a view to its integration into the Euro-Mediterranean partnership is welcomed;
2.undertake to:
2.1intensify their efforts to promote dialogue amongst partners from different countries at regional and sub-regional levels;
2.2reinforce the capacity and promote the autonomy of employer and worker associations, especially in order to support social dialogue and the freedom of social partners to negotiate amongst themselves;
2.3develop information and training initiatives that are designed to further involve the members of various organisations represented within ESCs and socio-occupational organisations in general in decision-making processes that affect society at large;
2.4combine their efforts to analyse major topical issues at a deeper level, and particularly to enhance social welfare coverage, develop pro-active employment policies, and protect the most vulnerable;
2.5support economic growth and foster increased investment, in particular by means of boosting crucial factors for competitiveness such as education, training and research.
3.The participants:
3.1recommend that the 35 Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in The Hague on 29 and 30 November 2004 recognise the role played by economic and social councils, as well as by civil society organisations, in implementing the partnership strategy;
3.2urge the Ministers to strengthen arrangements for dialogue and representation of civil society, starting with the economic and social councils and similar institutions, so that their activities can flourish in the interests of a culture of peace, progress and participation; in this connection it is essential to develop networks of non-State actors who, along with promoting dialogue and mutual understanding, can carry out joint activities and research;
3.3ask the Member States of the European Union to accelerate all association agreement ratification procedures;
3.4call for economic and social councils to be granted a legal framework that clearly defines their roles and responsibilities and provides them with the necessary conditions to guarantee total independence and efficiency in the development of their consultative work;
3.5recommend that the representatives of the socio-occupational organisations be closely associated with the implementation of the Action Plans in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, especially since they have not been involved in the preparation of the Action Plans;
3.6urge that full advantage be taken of the new conditions in the Middle East to relaunch the peace process, working on the basis of the Road Map to seek a just and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and necessarily involving civil society on both sides, and that the forthcoming elections in the Palestinian Territories be conducted transparently and democratically, enabling all Palestinians entitled (including the Palestinians of East Jerusalem, in conformity with the previous election held in 1996) to take part; the purpose of all these conditions being to bring about as quickly as possible the existence of two neighbouring States in a climate of peace and security;
3.7recommend that European governments and European institutions, as well as the Mediterranean Partner Countries, intensify their efforts to promote peace and security in the region and undertake to actively support all initiatives to stabilise democracy and independence in Iraq, especially by contributing to the success of the forthcoming Sharm el-Sheikh Conference.
Those attending the summit of economic and social councils and similar institutions also adopted the following conclusions and recommendations:
4.Concerning "Agriculture and food safety in the context of the Euromed partnership"
The participants:
4.1note that Mediterranean countries are the European Union's second most important export market for agricultural and food products, the bulk of which is accounted for by cereals and dairy products. EU imports essentially comprise some 20 products, with fruit and vegetables being the most important;
4.2believe that if the Barcelona Process is to result in a significant liberalisation of trade in agricultural products, the socio-economic dimension to agricultural development, as regards farmers and workers, must also be considered;
4.3emphasise the strategic value of an agreed agrifood policy between the EU and the Mediterranean Partner Countries, in order to affirm diversification and complementarity of supply and of consumption of Mediterranean agrifood products on the basis of a high minimum level of biodiversity, sustainability, safety and quality. A prerequisite for this is more balanced rural development, a narrowing of the gaps between the different socio-economic systems and production geared to the requirements of local, and not only export, markets;
4.4recommend that agriculture be given higher political priority in the Barcelona Process, so that the various financial instruments available can also create the right climate for agricultural development and for food safety and autonomy;
4.5recommend that a number of areas should be identified and explored to promote the development of food production and safety, including:
- an advice and training needs update for farmers and workers;
- the need for research in cooperation with GFAR[1] and its network organisations;
- the need for financial support and development loans for agricultural holdings and the processing industry;
- the need for advice and training in the fields of transport, processing and distribution;
- production and marketing advice on organic products;
- support and development of consumer organisations and consumer information;
- more networking (such as clustering) among food businesses to share best practices.
5.Concerning "Immigration and cooperation among the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Region"
The participants:
5.1note that migration within the Euro-Mediterranean region has been ongoing for several decades but has escalated in recent years. Such migrations are a structural component within the Euro-Mediterranean and are of primary importance to present and future relations in the region. These migratory movements, if properly managed, will present opportunities for generating and enriching relations and trade on both sides of the Mediterranean. On the whole, the consequences of this process should further the objectives of the Barcelona process;
5.2propose a rebalancing of the policies pursued by the EU since the Seville European Council in June 2002, which have paid particular attention to security and monitoring, with the strategy set out in the conclusions of the Tampere European Council of October 1999. This could be achieved by means of a high level of coordination between EU immigration policies and EU external policies: cooperation, economy and trade, and foreign policy, with a view to building more inclusive relations with southern and eastern Mediterranean countries.
5.3The participants recommend:
5.3.1More integrated migration policies that take a balanced view of all aspects of migration including the social and professional integration of migrants and their families, migratory flow management, and combating the causes of clandestine and irregular migration.
5.3.2Intensified dialogue and cooperation as part of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and European neighbourhood policy, in order to facilitate the integration of migrants and their families by promoting the practical exercise of their rights and duties, and their full involvement in economic, social and cultural life.
5.3.3More robust policies providing access for migrants and their families to the various levels of the education and training system as a decisive factor for enhancing active citizenship and equal opportunities.
5.3.4Encouragement for open models of integration, providing a balanced combination of freedom and the right to safeguard features of one’s own identity as part of an approach of acknowledging cultural pluralism while respecting the values and duties existing in the host countries.
5.3.5Maintaining efforts to speed up economic and social development in migrants’ countries of origin, improving citizens’ standard of living and establishing conditions of good governance and respect for human rights. To this end, political leaders of all the countries of the Mediterranean, north and south, are urged to reinforce frameworks for economic development and social cohesion, for which the involvement of economic and social actors, through the organisations representing them, will be necessary.
5.3.6Seeing migration as one of the major issues in present-day and future Mediterranean relations, which requires significant strengthening of the financial framework and the volume of resources needed to tackle the scale and complexity of the economic and social challenges facing the partner countries, under the umbrella of the Barcelona Process.
5.4The social and economic organisations taking part in the Summit undertake to seek formulas ensuring continuity in following up the migration and cooperation policy themes. To this end, they will adopt working methods after the Summit ensuring that uninterrupted attention will focus on this shared concern.
6.Concerning "Implementation of the 2003-2004 work programme"
6.1On the basis of the conclusions of the Malta Summit of November 2003, the Follow-up Committee was active in encouraging the emergence and consolidation of organised civil society in the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) and helped to strengthen relations both with the ESCs of Mediterranean Partner Countries and with civil societies in the MPCs without ESCs.
6.2Several activities helped to encourage the development of consultative bodies, in particular, several missions to MPCs without ESCs including Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Morocco.
6.3The Follow-up Committee has been active in strengthening relations with the political authorities, in particular, the European Council, the European Commission, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of the Regions.
6.4The participants recommend that the Follow-up Committee:
- develop contacts among partners within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership not only on an overall multilateral basis, but also on a sub-regional basis;
- encourage the establishment of structures for dialogue and the consolidation of existing structures, in particular the creation of a Jordanian Economic and Social Council;
- help and encourage socio-occupational organisations in other countries like Egypt and Syria, to establish autonomous consultative bodies;
- be kept informed of any contacts which the EESC may initiate with socio-occupational organisations of Libya;
- develop contacts with the political authorities, in particular the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, and step up cooperation with the Committee of the Regions of the European Union;
- develop contacts with networks of socio-occupational organisations, such as the Euro-Mediterranean Trade Union Forum, the Mediterranean Union of Employers’ Federations and the Euro-Mediterranean Social Economy Network, together with civil society organisations such as the Euromed Civil Forum Platform, the Euromed Youth Platform and the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures.
7.The participants
being informed of the results of the projects:
- welcome the completion of the Tresmed project and the launching of the Tresmed2 project, and undertake to continue their cooperation with the Economic and Social Council of the Kingdom of Spain for the success of initiatives to be launched by the organisers;
- note with satisfaction the results of the “Social dialogue and social systems” project and hope that this work can continue, in particular by exploring with the European institutions the possibility of setting up a Euro-Mediterranean Social Observatory;
- regarding the issue of setting up an external public debt observatory for the Mediterranean Partner Countries, as decided at the Athens and Malta Summits, they recommend that discussion continue and the relevant study group be expanded on a voluntary basis; and that this question continue to be carefully monitored and analysed by means of contributions from councils or by holding conferences, reporting to subsequent summits.
8.The representatives of the economic and social councils and similar institutions propose that the next summit be held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 2005. The Follow up Committee will therefore comprise, for its next term, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Economic and Social Council of the Kingdom of Spain and the representatives of the economic and social interest groups of Jordan.
The topics of the reports to be discussed at the 2005 summit are as follows:
- The role of advisory bodies and socio-occupational organisations in the implementation of partnership agreements and in the framework of the European neighbourhood policy, to be drawn up under the direction of the European Economic and Social Committee in cooperation with the Economic and Social Council of Greece (OKE), the Economic and Social Council of Tunisia, the Economic and Social Council of Israel and the representatives of the economic and social interest groups of Morocco;
- Combating poverty in the Euro-Mediterranean countries, to be drawn up under the direction of the Economic and Social Council of Portugal in cooperation with the Economic and Social Council of France, the Italian National Economic and Labour Council (CNEL), the Economic and Social Council of Tunisia and the Turkish delegation to the EU-Turkey JCC;
- Industrial and technological cooperation and relocation in the Euro-Mediterranean region, to be drawn up under the direction of the Economic and Social Council of the Kingdom of Spain in cooperation with the Italian National Economic and Labour Council (CNEL) and the Economic and Social Council of France.
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[1]GFAR – Global Forum on Agricultural Research