The European Union wishes to take advantage of the tenth anniversary
of the Euro-Mediterranean Process to consolidate the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership and reinvigorate it in accordance with the new situation
being experienced by the EU and the Mediterranean 10 years after
the Barcelona Conference. With this
objective, the ministers of Foreign Affairs of Europe and of the
Mediterranean partner countries, who met in The Hague on 29th and
30th November, decided to call an extraordinary conference, at the
highest level possible, which will be held in Barcelona in November
2005. The decision was made on the initiative of the Spanish government
and has the full support of the 35 countries of the Partnership.
To underline its desire to reinvigorate Euro-Mediterranean relations,
the EU also decided that 2005 should be the Mediterranean year.
Both
decisions make clear the intention to open a new stage for the Barcelona
Process that takes into account the evaluation of this decade and
integrates the European Neighbour Policy into the structure and
objectives of the Partnership for the next few years. The extraordinary
conference, now known as Barcelona +10, will be prepared by Spain
in close collaboration with the two countries which hold the presidency
of the EU in 2005: the United Kingdom and Luxemburg. The calling
of Barcelona +10 has been accompanied by a plea to civil society
to actively participate in the debate on the 10 years of the Partnership
and the new stage of Euro-Mediterranean relations. This means opening
a participation process, also extraordinary, that allows a gauging
of European and Mediterranean societies in terms of common challenges
and the future of the Barcelona Process.
The European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)
is wholly committed to this process of social participation and
to giving it the maximum visibility possible. To this end, it has
centred its programme of activities for 2005 on the 10 years of
the Barcelona Process and has decided to open this website (www.barcelona10.org)
that will reflect all the news and opinions emerging during the
preparation of Barcelona +10, both from the institutions and civil
society.
The IEMed has prepared a survey on the
Euro-mediterranean project.
Both
decisions make clear the intention to open a new stage for the Barcelona
Process that takes into account the evaluation of this decade and
integrates the European Neighbour Policy into the structure and
objectives of the Partnership for the next few years. The extraordinary
conference, now known as Barcelona +10, will be prepared by Spain
in close collaboration with the two countries which hold the presidency
of the EU in 2005: the United Kingdom and Luxemburg. The calling
of Barcelona +10 has been accompanied by a plea to civil society
to actively participate in the debate on the 10 years of the Partnership
and the new stage of Euro-Mediterranean relations. This means opening
a participation process, also extraordinary, that allows a gauging
of European and Mediterranean societies in terms of common challenges
and the future of the Barcelona Process.