EMHRN Statement following the 10th Anniversary Euro-Mediterranean Summit Barcelona 27-28 November 2005.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network expresses its deep-felt concern about the outcome of the Summit of Head of States in Barcelona, 27-28 November 2005 at the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration adopted by the EU and its South Mediterranean Partners.

The Barcelona Declaration initiated a process for creating peace, stability and prosperity in the EuroMed region by committing Partners to act in accordance with the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to develop the rule of law and democracy in their political systems. It also acknowledged the role of civil society in the development of the Partnership.

Yet most evaluations of the Barcelona process agree that hardly any progress was made on human rights in the past ten years and that the recognition of the role of civil society has remained weak, despite the fact that several instruments are available to promote and protect human rights within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

Despite this fact and despite Partners’ reconfirmation of their commitment to strengthen democracy, and enhance respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Barcelona Summit, these commitments are followed up by few concrete actions.

The EMHRN finds the initiative of establishing a substantial financial facility aimed at supporting reform interesting assuming that it will be provided with efficient and consistent means to work.

However, the EMHRN regrets that the many contributions of civil society to the evaluation of the Barcelona process and their recommendations for reinvigorating the Barcelona process are neither acknowledged, nor taken into account in the Summit conclusions.

The place of civil society remains unclear and is even restricted by Partners statement that the role of civil society should be fostered in accordance with national legislation knowing that legislation in most South Mediterranean countries is far from living up to international human rights standards. If the Partnership is to have any true meaning, the governments should engage in a dialogue with an independent and autonomous civil society.

The EMHRN believes that the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership has the necessary instruments to take major steps forward in the field of human rights. It urges the Partners to back these up by giving human rights and democracy a top priority for the next ten years.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Kamel Jendoubi,
EMHRN President
kjendoubi@aol.com
Phone: +33 1 42 87 02 20

Marc Schade-Poulsen
EMHRN Executive Director
msp@euromedrights.net
Phone: +45 32 64 17 10

Michel Tubiana
French Human Rights League
ldh@ldh-france.org
Phone: +33 01 56 55 51 00