Busuttil on two Med. delegations

The European Movement (Malta) is delighted by the news that MEP Simon Busuttil was appointed on two delegations of the European Parliament, one to the Maghreb and the other to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.

The Maghreb includes Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia as well as Libya, which has observer status in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP).

Sometimes Mauritania is also tossed in for good measure because it participates in the Arab Maghreb Union which is a sub-regional economic union in the western part of the Mediterranean. This Maghreb Union has not had a glorious track record, much to the consternation of the EU.

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly was created last March in Athens to bring together members of the European Parliament and members of the national parliamentarians of the member countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

It replaces the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum which was originally established in 1998 in response to a call made three years earlier in the Barcelona Declaration, for the enhancement of the parliamentary dimension of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

The Parliamentary Assembly acts as a consultative body to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. It helps increase the transparency of the partnership and the involvement of Parliamentarians directly in its work in a consultative role.

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, which will meet again in Egypt in 2005, is made up of 240 members - 120 from the Arab states in the Mediterranean and 120 from the EU side. The latter are split between 44 coming from the European Parliament and the rest from the national parliaments of the member states.

The European Parliament's delegations to the Maghreb and to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly have a very important role to play and getting a seat in both is no mean achievement. We heartily congratulate Dr Busuttil and augur him every success in his endeavour.

Dr Busuttil's participation in these delegations is yet another important element in Malta's quest of playing a significant role in Euro-Mediterranean affairs now that it is an EU member state.

The European Movement has always argued that Malta stood a better chance of improving its overall performance in the partnership by being a member of the EU rather than by staying out. Time has proved us right. Gradually, as EU membership allows us to deepen our participation in EU affairs, we become more intermeshed in our own region's politics then we were in the past.

This means that we have to shoulder new responsibilities and to square up to fresh and novel challenges. By keeping our feet firmly on the ground we can acquit ourselves admirably.

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly will also give our national parliament the chance of sending its own representatives as well. Three committees have been established within the Assembly, covering political affairs, economic affairs and social and cultural exchanges. We hope the Maltese will participate fully in these committees.