Address of Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami Speaker of the House of Representatives President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, at Opening of the 17th Plenary Session of the PA-UfM

16/02/2024

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
 
Honorable Colleagues, Speakers of Legislative Bodies
Esteemed Colleagues, Members of Delegations
Excellencies, Ambassadors
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased to declare open of the 17th Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean here in Rabat, Capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, following yesterday’s meetings of the Summit of Speakers, the Standing Committees of the Union, and its Enlarged Bureau.
I would like to welcome you again to the Moroccan House of Representatives, thanking you for accepting our invitation, which is a token of the ties that bind our countries and an embodiment of our collective determination to continue our common Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary action, within our Parliamentary Union. In a month from now, our Union will be celebrating its 20th year of existence and 26 years since the establishment of its first form, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum.
On this occasion, we ought to bring to mind the process of establishment, which was by no means easy, but was crucial, nonetheless. We, particularly, remember the contributions made by the founders—the late Abdelwahed Radi and the late José Maria Gill Robles, who, by sheer coincidence, were born in the same year, and passed away last year. This means that the two lived the same historical eras, with all their ups and downs. We, likewise, remember the President Nicole Fontaine and others, who all contributed amply to laying the foundations of the parliamentary arm, which accompanied the Barcelona Process.
The establishment of the Union occurred in the context of major developments and breakthroughs in international relations: notably, the end of the Cold War, the Oslo Negotiations and their outcomes at the Madrid Conference on Peace in the Middle East, and the Washington Agreements, which crowned the whole process. This was followed by the launch of the Barcelona Process which shored up the parliamentary dimension and underscored its importance as a mechanism to enhance the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
But one might ask: where do we stand with regard to the aspirations which were set in motion by these dynamic moments?
The record of achievements is disparate, to the extent of paradox.
Our economic partnerships have made some notable achievements, thanks to the dynamism and engagement of the private sector, the governmental and institutional support made available on the two sides of the Mediterranean, the praiseworthy commitments of the European Union in a number of structuring projects, and the facilitation and multiplication of trade, enabled by the various advanced bilateral and multilateral agreements.
The fifteen years which followed the launch of the Barcelona Process were marked by multiple multilateral political dialogues between the two shores of the Mediterranean, both at the governmental and parliamentary levels, as well as between territorial collectivities, business circles, civil society organizations, academics, and universities. All of this represented a major and genuine breakthrough in the region, as evidenced by the signing of several partnership agreements between the European Union and partner countries lying south and east of the Mediterranean Basin.
These partnerships opened up new promising vistas benefiting trade, market liberalization, attraction of investments, and the establishment of numerous common projects.
Our partnerships have constituted real success stories in such common projects as in the areas of industry, the environment, green economy, agriculture, and fisheries.
We have, likewise, achieved a number of goals in the areas of human rights, women’s rights, gender equality, cooperation between civil societies, good governance, and institutional support, particularly through institutional twinning programs, funded by the European Union, and also the funding granted to development projects.
The essential element to note here are the gains made by our countries thanks to security coordination and common action against terrorism and radicalism—which have enabled us to jointly foil heinous terrorist plots and to dismantle numerous terrorist cells. This is an occasion for us to hail and thank the security apparatuses in our respective countries.
Among the requirements of our partnership mention should be made of the bold reforms undertaken by the countries of the South that have engaged in it. However, these opportune reforms have their social and financial costs, as they require both the public and the private sectors to respond to and meet European quality criteria and requirements, within a short span of time, while this exact process had required decades of accumulated efforts and achievements in EU member countries themselves.
While we fully realize that the matter of reform is a national and domestic requirement, and not just a mere response to any pressure, we still need to bear in mind that reform is costly and as such needs to be incremental.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As much as the agreements and mechanisms which unite us warrant enhancement and fortification in order to guarantee their legal security—against the claims made by lobbies, interest groups, as well as by ready-made and stereotypical “appeals” and “challenges”—our Euro-Mediterranean partnership is also, generally, in need of renewal at the level of political and institutional dialogue that provides the main framework for relations and exchanges between sundry sectors and in other areas.
There is an urgent need to revive trust in our partnership to find answers that are commensurate with the questions and issues posed by the current context and, also up to the old-new challenges which confront our Euro-Mediterranean region.
Allow me here to review with you some of the challenges that we ought to work together to address if we really want the Euro-Mediterranean Basin to recover its universal standing, role, and its worldwide radiance.
The so-called “Arab Spring,” for one, has had devastating effects on some countries lying south and east of the Mediterranean. Indeed, several groups availed themselves of transition-periods and the general vulnerability of States, to spread chaos and to impede the establishment of national institutions. Foreign meddling also deepened the vulnerability of conditions, resulting in forced displacement, asylum-seeking, and migration.
The conflict in the Middle-East remains at the center of regional conflicts, for it has given rise to several other conflicts. But the Palestinian Question remains the core cause of instability in the Middle East. As far as this conflict is concerned, we ought to address the core issue, which consists in putting an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories, allowing the Palestinian people to achieve their independence and to establish their own independent State on its national territories—a viable and sovereign State living in peace and co-existence with the rest of the countries in the region.
Over the foreseeable future, the action of the international community should not stop shorter of guaranteeing the right of the Palestinian people to establish their State, with the Eastern Al-Quds as its capital and providing the Palestinians with such protection so as to enjoy their right to life, security, national institutions, and identity.
Once more, humanitarian values and the human conscience are today put to test and brought face to face with historic responsibilities.
We should always bear in mind that so long as the problems of the Middle East are not resolved on the basis of international law and justice, our Euro-Mediterranean region will continue to be kept hostage of instability, conflicts, and chaos.
Whether it is by virtue of history or geopolitics, or in the name of human conscience, values, interests, or again, out of mere solicitous care for the future, the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, with the Palestinian question at its core, should be perceived essentially as an Euro-Mediterranean responsibility. It is an opportunity to recover the role played by our Union in stopping systematic destruction, in all its dimensions.
Honorable Colleagues,
There are a number of challenges that are known to all of us, even if our approaches to them may differ.
Relative to instability, for instance, we are all confronted to extremism and terror, which find a fertile soil in chaos, poverty, and the absence of institutions. While it is necessary to continue to counter the actions of the funders, enablers, and executioners of terrorist plots, it is necessary to eradicate the root causes of terrorism and to remove the hot-bed environment that nourishes it, while, at the same time, continuing to shore up liberties, democracy, and human rights and to disseminate the culture of co-existence.
These challenges and factors, along with others outside the Euro-Mediterranean space and beyond it, contribute to a striking increase in the phenomenon of irregular migration, asylum, and displacement, with the resulting human tragedies. The Mediterranean Sea has become a cemetery for thousands of young people seeking hope for employment, livelihood, security, freedom, or protection from sectarian or ethnic intolerance.
As I pointed out before the Honorable Speakers of yesterday, migration in our Mediterranean Basin has throughout ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary history constituted a means of intensive, massive, and unique cross-fertilization and cross-cultural exchanges. Today, alas, it has become a source of conflicts, racism, discrimination, as well an expedient for stigmatizing the “Other,” fed as it is by biased and misleading media. Besides, migration is now at the center of electoral overbidding in several countries on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Basin. Indeed, xenophobia and hostility towards migrants, stand at the top of the agendas of several political formations. It is a card played in electoral overbidding and an instrument for electoral gains.
In this respect, we should not overlook successful models of integration and joint-management of irregular immigration between the North and the South—as represented by the model I know very well, to wit, the multi-faceted cooperation model between the Kingdoms of Morocco and Spain to address this phenomenon. It behoves all democrats—whether they be parties, forces, intellectuals, and institutions, in the North—to reconfigure the equations which consist in correlating the problems facing European societies with the phenomenon of immigration. They should also confront xenophobic discourse and never lose sight of the historic roles played by migrants in the economies of several European countries, as well as the contributions made by many migrants, their children, and countrymen to the scientific, cultural, and sporting successes of these countries.
Honorable Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the Euro-Mediterranean region, heat attained in 2023 its highest levels ever, and the ensuing fires resulted in the destruction of vast tracts of forest areas. This means that the Mediterranean Basin, more than any other areas in the world, suffers intensely from the adverse effects of climate imbalances. To these challenges, may be added other challenges such as soil depletion, deforestation, over-exploitation of marine resources, and drought.
Once again, we find ourselves in front of a massive ethical responsibility which resides in protecting the Mediterranean Basin and restoring balance to its environment. For, in addition to the tragedies that these factors cause in terms of forced migration and impoverishment, humanity may, on account of over-pollution of the Mediterranean Basin, lose one of the richest, most varied, and most useful food sources in the world, as well as one of the most significant components for natural human heritage on which were founded some of the oldest civilizations.
 
 
Honorable Colleagues,
This outline of some challenges facing us is only for the purpose of reminding ourselves of the responsibilities devolved to us and of the necessity to strive all the more to foster our partnerships, especially that we all know that models of successful partnerships, cooperation, and creativity abound. For instance, one of the most recent, most symbolic, and most historic is the honour bestowed on Morocco, Spain, and Portugal when they were entrusted with the organization of the 2030 World Cup; an event that carries tremendous historical, civilizational, and cultural significance and embodies the friendship and unique historical ties binding our peoples.
As you have had occasions to ascertain, Morocco—a country true to the traditions of co-existence, moderation, and freedom—will never hesitate to continue its positive and active engagement and participation in the renewal of Euro-Mediterranean partnerships. In the same vein, the Moroccan House of Representative, which has been one of principal founders and developers of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary dimension, will continue to engage positively in this process and to make use of its power of proposal. In this, it relies on its relations with the various components of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, as well as on its institutional expertise which finds sustenance in its authentic and consecrated democratic institutional model, as led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him.
We should also preserve our keenness and call to abide by and respect our mutual commitments and not interfere in the domestic affairs of the others, and especially respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states—bearing in mind that it constitutes a red line in the conventions of contemporary international relations.
I welcome you once again and thank you for your keen listening.