Malta still in the running to host Med foundation

Malta's chances of hosting the Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue of Cultures remain good, according to diplomatic sources, after foreign ministers meeting here failed to agree on the body's location.

The VI Euro-Mediterranean conference of foreign ministers (held on Tuesday and Wednesday), also attended by accession state ministers, agreed to formally establish the foundation. However, none of the three candidates offering to host it - Malta, Egypt and Italy - were able to obtain unanimous support. The location will be decided by a future meeting of EuroMed senior officials' MED committee.

Malta's proposal, circulated to all Partnership members several months ago, was presented again here to ministers by Dr Joe Borg. In contrast to the Egyptian and Italian offers, which would base the foundation on an existing government-supported organisation, Malta's offer comprised a fully equipped, unoccupied palace in Valletta, backed by a formal agreement ensuring the body's full independence from the Maltese government. The foundation is envisaged as a "network of networks", promoting regular dialogue between 'non-official' actors in the region.

Ministers also decided to establish a 240-member Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly as a consultative organ of the Partnership.

Presenting the Presidency conclusions to the press, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini emphasised "the common destiny of Europe and the Mediterranean, and the strategic importance of the Partnership for peace. Constructive discussions here between the EU and Syria, Israel and the Arab ministers have resulted in a comprehensive agreed text about Iraq and the Middle East peace process."

An overall regional stability/security strategy was necessary, the conclusions said, building inter alia on the recently launched Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and co-operation on/with the European Security and Defence Policy. A consensus on ways to promote human rights and democracy throughout the region was also needed, along with increased co-operation in justice as well as combating terrorism and crime.

On the EU's "Wider Europe - New Neighbourhood Initiative" ministers emphasised the need for 'credible incentives', if it was to successfully promote political and economic reform in the region.

The European Investment Bank's recently established Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) to support private investments in the Mediterranean would be further developed and its possible transformation into an EIB majority-owned subsidiary would be assessed in December 2006.

A long-term Regional Economic Dialogue, to include biannual meetings of Economics/Finance Ministers was also decided. In addition, ministers urged the launching of bilateral negotiations on trade in virtually all services and took note of Commission preparations to enable similar negotiations on raw and processed agricultural products. These negotiations would be additional to trade liberalisation for industrial goods foreseen under the Mediterranean Free Trade Area, targeted to start in 2010.

Migration should be carefully managed, the Presidency conclusions stated, and on-going dialogues between some partners extended region-wide to cover root causes of migration, as well as solutions relating to legal and illegal movement of people which would bring net socio-economic benefits to all countries involved.

The Presidency conclusions however ignored calls for a key role for civil society in the Partnership's decision-making procedures issued by a prior Euromed. Civil Society Forum held here last week. The Forum focused mainly on Middle East, social, cultural and environmental issues. Ministers agreed that civil society participation would continue to be limited to Partnership programmes.

The Forum's 200 participants included representatives of two Maltese organisations - the University's Foundation for International Studies and Nature Trust. Also present was Giovanni Buttigieg, co-ordinator of the EuroMed Youth Platform headquartered in Valletta.