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      6 March 2023 – Alghad.com – المؤتمر الدولي لمصادر المياه بعمان: تحديد للفرص القابلة للتنفيذ
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Miguel Ángel Moratinos

The Mediterranean
25 years later

November 28th, 1995 marks one of the most important milestones in Spanish and European diplomacy; it was the day the Barcelona Declaration was signed. The initiative was revolutionary in both form and content and allowed the nations of the North, South, East, and West of the Mare Nostrum to make a historic commitment to working towards establishing a peaceful and prosperous region.

At the time, the diplomats in charge of leading the project described the end result as a process; the Barcelona Process. We designed a new way of addressing the problems that were influencing instability in the region. We came to the conclusion, which at the time was groundbreaking, that the only way to establish a space in which all could co-exist would be to actively work together to help the region progress politically, economically, financially, culturally, and in terms of security.

When the Barcelona Declaration was signed, there were favourable geopolitical conditions. We lived in hope that lasting peace in the Middle East would be possible. The Madrid Conference of 1991 had taken place, and the subsequent historic Oslo agreements signed. There was a general willingness on all fronts and, despite the severity of some approaches and the difficulties of wording almost irreconcilable positions in the texts, “diplomatic wisdom” prevailed when it came to the final draft of the document, which received unanimous support from all delegations.

Twenty-five years on, the process has seen highs and lows. Societies in both the north and the south began to learn more about each other; progress was initially made in the commercial and economic fields, and renewed Euro-Mediterranean policies were adopted. But, the stagnation of the peace process in the Middle East and the lack of political and social reforms in Southern countries slowed the pace of change and development throughout the Mediterranean region.

At that point, a leap of faith was made as the nations established an even more demanding union with greater political commitments. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) was founded in July 2008. The General Secretariat of the UfM was established in Barcelona, to ensure that progress was monitored.

Indeed, the UfM General Secretariat has had to deal with existential upheaval. Paradoxically, the more political mobilisation was needed, the more it stagnated with the events of the Arab Spring. Conflict and crises multiplied, and cooperation was impeded to the point that it was impossible to implement joint projects.

It is now up to us to take stock and consider the future, especially given the challenges and the need for cooperation that the current context demands when it comes to recovering from the pandemic. Covid-19 calls for greater Euro-Mediterranean cooperation than ever before. What’s more, with the current situation, we are forced to act urgently to tackle the rising military tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the open conflicts in Libya, Syria, etc.

There is much to be learned from this situation. The first lesson is both the simplest and most essential: political will. Is there enough political will today to shape a shared future? I am convinced that there is, but we must take certain actions to achieve it.

Secondly, the main actors of 1995 and 2008, both European and Arab countries, do not seem to play an active role in defining their own destiny. Neither seems to influence decision-making to address a common future.

The UfM’s Foreign Ministers must have a political debate. They must define a new mandate that considers the crisis with a focus on how to overcome it. Economic and financial projects are still necessary, but in order for them to work, they must receive clear political support. Moreover, social, cultural, and religious issues should be more prominent on any future agenda. The gap between the North and the South due to civilizational and cultural issues is widening every day. We must build a Mediterranean “demos”. All of us should take a look at Albert Camus’ La Pensée du Midi, so we could better see the absurdity of the reality that seems to impose itself between the two shores.

Spain should not let this historical date go by unnoticed. It is true that the challenges and difficulties of the 21st Century’s second decade are great, but this should not be an excuse. New generations are waiting for a united and shared response to all of these problems. We politicians just have to provide them. If we do not do so, we will have failed in our mission. The Mediterranean is well worth this collective effort.

Versión original: El Mediterráneo 25 años después

El 28 de noviembre de 1995 quedará marcado como uno de los hitos de mayor trascendencia de la diplomacia española y europea. Se firmaba en esa fecha la Declaración de Barcelona.

Fue una iniciativa revolucionaria por la forma y el contenido, logrando que, países del norte, del sur, del este y oeste del Mare Nostrum pudieran encontrar un compromiso histórico para avanzar en la creación de un espacio de paz y prosperidad.

En aquel entonces, los responsables diplomáticos encargados de impulsar tal proyecto, calificamos el resultado como un proceso, el Proceso de Barcelona. Diseñamos una nueva manera de abordar los problemas que afectaban a la inestabilidad en esta región. Llegamos a la conclusión, en aquel entonces totalmente innovadora, de que sólo si avanzábamos interactivamente en los aspectos políticos y de seguridad, económico-financieros y culturales, podríamos consolidar un espacio de convivencia aceptable para todos.

La Declaración de Barcelona gozó de un momento geopolítico favorable. Vivíamos bajo la esperanza de que una paz definitiva en Oriente Medio sería posible. Asistíamos al post-Madrid de 1991, bajo la influencia de los históricos acuerdos de Oslo. Existía voluntad por todas las partes y, a pesar de la dureza de los planteamientos y las intransigencias en trasladar a los textos posiciones casi irreconciliables, al final “el saber diplomático” pudo redactar el documento final y recibir el apoyo unánime de todas las delegaciones.

Veinticinco años más tarde, luces y sombras han acompañado este proceso. Las sociedades del norte y del sur empezaron a conocerse mejor. Se avanzó durante los primeros años en el campo comercial y económico. Se adoptaron políticas euro-mediterráneas renovadas, pero el estancamiento del proceso de paz en Oriente Próximo y la falta de reformas políticas y sociales en los países del Sur, llevaron a ralentizar el ritmo de cambio y desarrollo en toda la región mediterránea.

Llegados a ese punto, se trató de dar un salto al vacío con una apuesta mayor, estableciendo una “unión” todavía más exigente en sus compromisos políticos. Se creó la Unión por el Mediterráneo (UpM) en julio de 2008. Por último, se consiguió crear una Secretaría General de la UpM en Barcelona, para garantizar el seguimiento de los trabajos.

Es verdad que la Secretaría General de la UpM ha tenido que lidiar con momentos existenciales. Paradójicamente, cuanto más se necesitaba una movilización política, esta se estancó tras los falsos cantos de sirena de la “primavera árabe”. Los conflictos y crisis se multiplicaron y la cooperación fue incapaz de fijar un plan serio de ejecución de proyectos conjuntos.

Hoy nos corresponde hacer balance y revisar el futuro, sobre todo con los desafíos y las necesidades de cooperación que nos plantea el contexto actual, de recuperación tras la pandemia. La Covid-19 hace hoy más que nunca necesaria una intensa cooperación euro-mediterránea. Pero además, la situación actual nos obliga a actuar con urgencia: crisis al borde del enfrentamiento militar en el Mediterráneo oriental, conflictos abiertos en Libia, Siria, etc.

Al extraer lecciones de esta situación, la primera que surge es la más sencilla y a su vez más necesaria: voluntad política. ¿Existe hoy la suficiente voluntad política de configurar un futuro común? Yo estoy convencido de que sí, pero entre todos debemos manifestarlo de alguna manera específica.

En segundo lugar, los actores principales de 1995 y 2008, Europa y los países árabes, parecen estar ausentes a la hora de definir su propio destino. Ni unos ni otros parecen influir en la toma de decisiones para abordar un futuro común.

Hace falta un debate político por parte de los Ministros de Asuntos Exteriores de la UpM. Deben definir el nuevo mandato sin olvidar la crisis, pero con la voluntad de superarla. Los proyectos económicos y financieros siguen siendo necesarios, pero para que funcionen, deben recibir un claro apoyo político. Además, las cuestiones sociales, culturales y religiosas deberían de ser incluidas con mayor relevancia en la futura agenda. El distanciamiento entre el norte y el sur por cuestiones civilizacionales o culturales es cada día mayor. Debemos de construir un “demos” mediterráneo. Todos nosotros podríamos recuperar “la pensée du Midi” de Albert Camus, que nos llevaría a ser más voluntaristas para abandonar el absurdo de la realidad que parece imponerse entre las dos riberas.

España no debería dejar pasar por alto esta nueva cita histórica. Es cierto que los retos y desafíos en esta segunda década del siglo XXI son mayores, pero esto no ha de ser excusa. Las nuevas generaciones están esperando una respuesta solidaria y compartida a todos estos problemas. Los políticos solo tenemos que facilitarles las soluciones. Si no lo hacemos, habremos fracasado en nuestra misión. El Mediterráneo bien vale este esfuerzo colectivo.

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