UFM: Schulz to EU Commission, give funds, political support
Responsibility to invest in future, even at time of crisis
(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS - The European Commission must give funds and political support to the Union for the Mediterranean (UFM), which four years on from his creation finds itself ''in a woeful state''. So said in Brussels today the head of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, during a meeting with the EU executive.
A few weeks after his election as rotating chair of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary assembly, Schulz has delivered a damning account of a UFM experience that he calls ''stagnant''.
''There has not been so much as an integration project, meetings of ministers have begun increasingly less frequent, while the second summit of heads of state and of government has not gone ahead,'' the chair of the European Parliament said. The paradox, Schulz continued, is that all of this occurs ''at a time of incredible political and social upheaval in the Mediterranean region''. As well as having a duty to accompany countries in the region on their journey towards democracy, ''together we must overcome obstacles to peace, the protection of the environment, access to drinking water and sustainable development,'' he continued.
As a result, Schulz has called on the EU Commission to ensure that the UFM receives ''the political support that it deserves'' and ''adequate financing'' with which to launch projects that might generate growth and jobs. At a time of crisis, he remarked, the responsible choice by the EU is not to cut funds where they are most needed, ''when it is a case of investing in our future''.
A few weeks after his election as rotating chair of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary assembly, Schulz has delivered a damning account of a UFM experience that he calls ''stagnant''.
''There has not been so much as an integration project, meetings of ministers have begun increasingly less frequent, while the second summit of heads of state and of government has not gone ahead,'' the chair of the European Parliament said. The paradox, Schulz continued, is that all of this occurs ''at a time of incredible political and social upheaval in the Mediterranean region''. As well as having a duty to accompany countries in the region on their journey towards democracy, ''together we must overcome obstacles to peace, the protection of the environment, access to drinking water and sustainable development,'' he continued.
As a result, Schulz has called on the EU Commission to ensure that the UFM receives ''the political support that it deserves'' and ''adequate financing'' with which to launch projects that might generate growth and jobs. At a time of crisis, he remarked, the responsible choice by the EU is not to cut funds where they are most needed, ''when it is a case of investing in our future''.
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