Ipemed’s political steering committee: Euro-Mediterranean turmoil at the heart of discussions

Published : Friday 16 March 2012
Political representativeness, the state’s role and the euro-mediterranean relationship featured in the debate. the aim: to inform deciders and stakeholders on potential avenues.

The Political Steering Committee held its annual meeting in Paris on 17 and 18 February 2012. The debate centred on the upheavals in the Euro-Mediterranean region, both North and South. With stakeholders and decision-makers needing information now more than ever, the committee invited contributions from Driss Ksikes, Moroccan journalist and theatre personality, Hela Yousfi, French and Tunisian sociologist, lecturer at Paris Dauphine University, and Amr El Shobaky, political scientist and newly elected member of the Egyptian parliament. The issue of political representativeness was central, with social groups at the root of the protests rarely figuring among those elected. To understand the situation in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, we need to be aware that participation and political representativeness do not go hand in hand: the elites are disconnected from reality, and demonstrators want to create the conditions for better governance. In Tunisia, young people instigated a revolution so that the state would play its role, and the reason they have not joined the political forces in great numbers is because they can neither trust them nor relate to them. The successes of Ennahda (Tunisia) and the PJD (Morocco) can be partly explained by their political virginity. The people need to take back debate and the public arena, which have until now been reserved for the elites.

Institutional reform

One of the major challenges is to undertake institutional reform while maintaining state neutrality. Egypt has a large public sector (9% of the population), but will the Muslim Brotherhood be able to successfully carry out reform? And what place will the army- still respected as an institution unlike the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces managing the transition- have? After the presidential elections, it is likely to gradually move away from the political scene, as was the case in Turkey, while remaining a pillar of political life. Yet the debate should not be reduced to the political Islam issue. The economic and social challenges are huge.

The economic model should strike a coherent balance between the financial economy, the real economy and the social economy.
 
Influence of the Gulf and regional integration

The question was raised of the Gulf States’ influence, with the fear that Maghreb countries might settle into a rent economy under the influence of the oil monarchies. Arab countries need to create a regional area. The Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs’ visit to Algiers, the meeting of Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) Foreign Affairs Ministers in Rabat on 17 February, and Moncef Marzouki’s declaration during his visit to Algeria, in which he conveyed his wish to renew the Maghreb construction process move in this direction. These initiatives have been encouraged by Washington, whose influence would be strengthened by a pro- USA attitude in the Maghreb, to the detriment of Europe.
 
Redefine the Euro-Mediterranean relationship?

The new reality reveals a rupture that Brussels has overlooked. Democratic transitions need political accompaniment. Cultural modernity needs promoting, and an industrial development model needs to be put back on the agenda. Euromed belongs to the contested heritage of the former regimes, yet civil societies need to be supported as they change, with a focus on the long term, solidarity, shared added value and investment. It depends on the political and societal projects we want to draw up together. We should take advantage of the renegotiation of the EU budget to ask the question and direct funding towards re-founding the partnership.

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