Hour of the Mediterranean

Egypt and the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern powder keg; landings of immigrants en masse on the southern shores of the continent; renewed concerns about Iran; strategy to promote the integration of Roma; not forgetting the amendments to the Lisbon Treaty needed to reinforce financial vigilance, children’s rights, commercial deals with South Korea, future EU membership for Croatia, the rule of law or lack of it in Russia… The plenary assembly of the European Parliament (14-17 February) represents a summation of the issues that the EU is having to tackle in this phase.“It’s a new 1989”. Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia: the eyes of MEPs are turned on the Maghreb. At the same time, member states are being asked to act, finally, for closer cooperation in foreign policy, for a real Euro-Mediterranean policy, and for coordinated and shared interventions on the level of managing immigration from Africa. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, is an expert in foreign policy and has a particularly deep understanding of the Middle Eastern situation. On his return from a mission in Egypt (the chamber has on its agenda a vote on a common resolution), he offered some reflections on what is happening in Cairo and spoke of “a new 1989”, recalling the fall of the Iron Curtain and an epochal change in international policy. “The Egyptian uprisings were induced by those of Tunisia. But the situation was long in ferment and there were groups, albeit restricted, that were working to support a transition. In recent days I met exponents of the protest, representatives of civil society and of the parties. There is agreement on the fact that Mubarak’s resignation will lead to a democratic future and I too am convinced of that. It will be a difficult transition, in which the army will have a role of stability” to play, even if the pervasive presence of the military in Egyptian society and in the Egyptian economy prompts more than one question.A persuasive tactic. British, university studies at Cambridge, education by Dominican Fathers, McMillan-Scott was head of the parliamentary observers at the Palestinian elections in 2006: for this reason he tends to insert developments in Egypt in the wider dimension of the Middle East: “What’s needed is a real foreign policy of the Union – he said during the debate at the EP in Strasbourg – as well as huge amounts of material aid, as also from the USA. The conditions of the population are desperate. Egypt’s economy is in a poor state, as are its healthcare, education, transport systems and environment”. “Now it’s up to the Egyptians to come to terms with the past regime, punish the perpetrators of crimes, including the most recent ones, with the hundreds of victims registered during the protests”. Edward McMillan-Scott seems sceptical about the role that can be played by Catherine Ashton, she too British, High Representative for EU Foreign Policy, who in recent days has made whistlestop visits to both Tunisia and the Holy Land: “Ashton is seen as a weak figure in the Middle East”. It will be necessary – he says – “to monitor her moves, understand whom she proposes to meet”. He then adds: “Our foreign policy is based on democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. We can only rely on moral suasion, on the tactic of persuasion, because the EU fortunately does not have a sixth fleet to deploy” in the Mediterranean. “We need to act with the weapons of policy”.Roma, inclusive policies. Also at Strasbourg the EP’s Commission of Civil Liberties has launched an important signal on the Roma question. The presentation by the Barroso Commission of a comprehensive strategy aimed at the integration of ‘gipsy’ populations is eagerly awaited in EU headquarters. Reports of anti-Roma discrimination and social exclusion are in the news everyday in much of Europe. That’s why MEPs emphasize the need to adopt suitable measures to promote their social, economic and cultural insertion, “education for children, equality of access to jobs”, the protection of essential rights, “the participation of women”, and a “targeted” use of European funds. The report presented by the rapporteur, Livia Jaroka, Hungarian MEP, she herself of Roma origin, met with almost unanimous support (in the Commission 50 votes were cast in favour, one member voted no, and one abstention). The text will now pass to the EP where it is due to be debated in March, while the Executive should present its own proposal in April. Strong support on this issue also came from the six months’ presidency of the European Council of Ministers, currently held by Hungary, which has inserted the problems of the Roma ethnic minority among its top political priorities. The Jaroka report confirms that the Roma populations have to cope with “systematic discrimination” and “an intolerable level of exclusion”. Jaroka does not disguise, however, problems of adaptation, forms of discrimination and violence within Roma groups themselves (especially to the detriment of women and children); but she insists on the fact that the inclusion of Roma “represents an obligation for Europe, not only in moral but also in economic terms”.