Improving neighborhood policy

Innovative Euro-Mediterranean cohesion policy must be undertaken by promoting access of local and regional authorities’ to European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) funding; the extension of the Covenant of Mayors to Southern Mediterranean cities and regions and the enforcement of territorial cooperation in strategic fields like sustainability and energy infrastructures. This was the ambitious message delivered on Monday by regional and local representative from more than 30 countries, gathering in Bari for the third plenary of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), co-organised by the Puglia region and chaired by ARLEM co‑presidents Mercedes Bresso, president of the Committee of the Regions, and Mohamed Boudra, president of the region of Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate (Morocco).Sustainable development model. "A year after the start of the Arab spring", ARLEM has succeeded in clarifying "how the EU can better support local communities in the southern Mediterranean area during this delicate transition how new cooperation opportunities are being brought about", said Mercedes Bresso after the adoption of the annual report on the territorial dimension of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), which was drafted by ARLEM co-presidents. "These efforts", according to Bresso, "will assist in the implementation of an innovative regional and cohesion policy aimed at supporting" in Southern Mediterranean countries "a sustainable development model based on a transparent and efficient administration, as well as a more open and dynamic business environment and, overall, on concrete improvements in the quality of life and in the opportunities offered to citizens” concluded Bresso. Together against climate change. "”From the Bari plenary came a strong encouragement for the Egyptian democratic transition” said Ali Abdelrahman, governor of Giza (Egypt), elected as new ARLEM co-president by the Southern Mediterranean members, with a mandate starting in August 2012, together with Ramon Luis Valcárcel Siso, president of Murcia (Spain). "20 years after the Rio Climate Conference, the failure of the strategies followed until now as well as the new cooperation opportunities linked to the current democratic movements are pushing Euro‑Mediterranean regions and cities to join their efforts in a new phase in the fight against climate change, based on a more consistent and decentralised approach” observed Nichi Vendola, president of the Puglia region. With the adoption of his report on climate change and desertification and of the report on renewable energy in the Mediterranean – rapporteur Michel Lebrun, Wallonia (EPP/BE) – ARLEM members made clear that a "concrete, joint commitment in the field of sustainability can dramatically accelerate the improvement of services like water and waste management, energy and local transport which are key factors in the quality of life of millions of citizens of the area". The are crucial steps "that favour the democratic transition". Fathallah Oualalou (Rabat, Morocco) addressed "the role of small and medium enterprises" for "green growth and jobs" while "the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in the Mediterranean was the topic of the report drafted by Asim Güzelbey (Gaziantep, Turkey). Support to "Arab spring" countries. In order to step up support to "Arab spring" countries and contribute to the formation of new ruling classes, two agreements – with the European Training Foundation and with the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) – were signed in Bari providing expertise in administrative decentralized governance and cooperation funding optimization. ARLEM is composed of 84 members from the European Union and its 16 Mediterranean partners, chaired by a co-presidency, equally representing the Mediterranean partners and the EU. ARLEM was launched in January 2010. It seeks to involve local and regional authorities more closely in the specific projects of the Union for the Mediterranean. The Barcelona Declaration, adopted by the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in November 1995, stated: “Municipalities and regional authorities need to be closely involved in the operation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. City and regional representatives will be encouraged to meet each year to take stock of their common challenges and exchange experiences". The Covenant of Mayors, launched by the European Commission after the adoption of the European Climate and Energy Package in 2008, is the main European movement involving regional and local authorities committed in stepping up energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources at local level. Through their commitment the signatories of the Covenant intent to reach and overcome the European objective for 20% reduction of CO2 emissions by the end of 2020.