EU and Mediterranean civil society reach historic deal on a joint Assembly
Civil society organisations from
the EU and countries around the Mediterranean met in
Speaking at the summit’s opening session European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) President Staffan Nilsson expressed “hope that the Assembly will reach its full potential in helping to build a peaceful future in the Mediterranean region through closer and permanent ties between civil society on all shores”.
The
Assembly of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions will seek
consultative body status within the Union for the
The statute of a new Assembly foresees a rotating Presidency and Bureau, as well as equal spread of seats between the EU and the 16 partner countries in order to guarantee a North-South balance. It is seen as a ‘living document’ that can be adapted to civil society’s needs over time.
The civil society participants’ warm support for the Assembly was echoed by the European Commission representative Tomás Dupla del Moral who welcomed the creation of the Assembly as a “joint body that will make sure that many communities are associated with the UfM giving them the opportunity to tackle the numerous challenges facing the Euromed region.” Civil Society efforts were crucial to the UfM because they “complemented the initiatives being made at intergovernmental level and they opened up further possibilities for dialogue.”
"Diplomacy
is not enough to achieve a sustainable solution for the
The Summit, which was organised by the Italian National Council of the Economy and Labour (CNEL) and the EESC, also saw a diverse range of civil society stakeholders and visiting experts from the region examine crucial themes such as decent work and sustainable development around the Mediterranean, vocational training as a factor for competitiveness and job creation, building a fairer society in the Euromed region and agricultural policies in the UfM countries. With the new Assembly, these valuable, in-depth discussions between expert citizens’ representatives can be fed directly into the UfM’s decision-making mechanisms guaranteeing, as the CNEL President Antonio Marzano pointed out, “a direct civil society impact on current crisis resolution efforts, as well as political momentum for a brighter future.”
Contact information |
Isolde Juchem , Press Service, EESC
(email: press@eesc.europa.eu) |
---|---|
News type | Inbrief |
File link |
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-euromed-summit-2010 |
Source of information | http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-euromed-summit-2010 |
Keyword(s) | UfM |
Relation | http://www.semide.org/initiatives/mediterranean-union |
Geographical coverage | n/a |
News date | 12/11/2010 |
Working language(s) | ENGLISH |
EuroMed citizens need cooperation on concrete projects
Citizens in the Euro-Mediterranean region need and expect strong and effective cooperation on concrete projects that will benefit them all, European Parliament Jerzy Buzek has said ahead of the Bureau meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean being held today in Rome.
Posted by jauad at 06 Dec 2010 17:06:22