Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-10-Speech-3-033"
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"en.20020410.2.3-033"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my group, I would like to pledge our total support for the Commission communication and the implicit decisions to reinvigorate the Euro-Mediterranean policy.
As has already been said, after eastward enlargement, this is becoming an absolute, essential priority, a duty we cannot shirk. To all the reasons for this which have existed thus far must be added the tragic war and terrorism in Israel and Palestine. We are currently faced with the proof, with constant confirmation of the fact that, if Europe does not become more involved and establish policies addressing the root causes of the region’s instability and lack of development, well then, we will be unable to prevent either real or potential conflict or its uncontrollable consequences such as illegal immigration. I therefore look forward to a more effective European Union policy on the Mediterranean; I welcome the idea of exporting the method of European integration, starting with the promotion of a genuine area of free trade facilitating as much south-south trade as possible, even above north-south trade.
The plan for funding this process, through specialised sections of the EIB now and a Euro-Mediterranean Development Bank in the future, must be welcomed with open arms. However, where the Mediterranean is concerned – and I would stress once again, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is evidence of this – we need to go deeper. This means concentrating now on recreating the necessary conditions and developing the dialogue between cultures and religions, a dialogue facilitating that mutual awareness and understanding which – we must realise – is no longer sufficient to avoid conflict between the Western and Islamic worlds, between Europe and the other Mediterranean cultures and between the Mediterranean cultures themselves.
Good intentions or occasional interventions are not enough to achieve this: we need ongoing work with a lasting impact. That is why I feel I must support and call strongly for the immediate initiation of the work of the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation mentioned in the Commission communication. The Mediterranean is steeped in history and full of symbolic places in which the intercultural and interfaith dialogue has developed over the centuries. I come from a city, Venice, which has a tradition in that area, and I am sure that, if the Foundation taps into all these energy sources, the many energy sources present in the Mediterranean, the many tales and experiences of cooperation and understanding, we will certainly be able to address the root of the matter. We tend to see the cultural element as an optional extra in our programmes, as something which is second to politics and the economy, but in this case it must be given pride of place for it is the very foundation stone which will make it possible for politics and the economy to play their role too."@en1
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