9th Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Ministers Meeting

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership met on 5-6 November 2007 in Lisbon, under the Presidency of the Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado. The meeting provided an opportunity to assess the progress made during 2007 and to agree on priorities for next year.

In a 21-page document, Ministers reaffirm their commitment to pursue their efforts to realise the objectives set out 12 years ago: to establish a common area of peace and stability, to create an area of shared prosperity and to develop a partnership in social, cultural and human affairs. They welcome the fact that, despite the prevailing tension in the Middle East, the Euro-Med partners have succeeded to maintain a constructive dialogue covering many key issues, and stress the importance of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

In the conclusions of their meeting, the Foreign Ministers refer to issues covered by the Political and Security Partnership, including political and security dialogue and enhancing partnership-building measures. In the context of Sustainable Socio-Economic Development and Reform, they reached conclusions on a range of issues, including progress towards establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area, stimulating economic cooperation and investment, enhancing cooperation in the fields of health, energy and transport, statistical cooperation, environment, climate change and sustainable development, the information society, developing a more systematic approach to cooperation in the field of employment, and human development.

In the framework of Education and Socio Cultural Exchanges, Ministers reached agreement on issues relating to a Euro-Mediterranean area of higher education and scientific research, civil society, the role of women in society, enhancing the Anna Lindh Foundation, media activities and youth.

Committee of the Regions supports strengthening of ENP

Istvan Sertö-Radics, 1st Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) Commission for External Relations, presented the CoR's political strategy related to European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) during the high-level conference held in Brussels on 3 September.

He told the Conference that the CoR contributes to the implementation and assessment of a variety of new neighbourhood policy instruments and programmes, particularly in the field of cross-border and interregional cooperation, along with institution-building programmes, which are of particular importance for local and regional authorities.

During the conference workshop on governance and stability, Lucio Gussetti, Director of the CoR Directorate for Consultative Works, said that the CoR had proposed setting up a forum of local and regional authorities of the Euromed region, as well as engaging in local and regional election monitoring in ENP countries.

The representative voice of regions and cities in the EU, the CoR believes that cooperation at local and regional level across of Europe is a major pre-requisite for political stability, sustainable growth and protection of the environment in the neighbourhood area.