”I welcome today’s conclusions of the European Council on a Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean”, said Gunnar Hökmark MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chairman responsible for Neighbourhood Policy. ”It is important to modify the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) according to the current challenges. People’s uprisings against repressive regimes have clearly showed their legitimate aspirations for democracy. Therefore, strengthening cooperation with civil society, institution-building, democratic transformation, constitutional and judiciary reforms as well as the fight against corruption should become top of the ENP agenda.”
”The European Neighbourhood Policy is an EU-27 project. We are all responsible for its success. New ideas for the Partnership with the Southern Mediterranean should, therefore, also be applied to the Eastern Partnership, namely conditionality and differentiation of aid and rewarding those countries who pursue the commonly agreed agenda at a faster pace than others. It is necessary to pay equal attention to what is happening in the South and in the East of our neighbourhood and to use transition know-how acquired in Eastern Europe by exploiting synergies between both dimensions of our neighbourhood”, emphasised Gunnar Hökmark.
A Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean brings change in the EU’s approach to the region, as well as new policy elements. It calls for differentiating EU cooperation, adjusting it to the specific situation of each country. Additionally, the more-for-more concept will be introduced, providing incentives for those partners who commit themselves to defined and measurable reforms concerning fundamental freedoms, respecting human rights and democracy, and achieving them faster and in a wider scope than others. Civil society should be the real beneficiary of the Partnership rather than governments.
”We believe that non-governmental organisations and civil society are crucial to building real civil societies in Europe’s neighbourhood. We have to strengthen their capacities, and boost people-to-people contacts such as youth exchange programs”, concluded Gunnar Hökmark MEP.
For further information:
Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Tel: +32-2-2845822
Per Heister, EPP Group Press & Communications Service, Tel: +32-496-645530
Marek Hannibal, EPP Group Press & Communications Service, Tel: +32-475-753048