Speech by EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner - European Neighbourhood Policy: helping ourselves through helping our neighbours

Summary: Speech by EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner - European Neighbourhood Policy: helping ourselves through helping our neighbours (31 October 2005: London)

Speech by Dr Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood policy, Conference of Foreign Affairs Committee Chairmen of EU member and candidate states, London

The European Neighbourhood Policy: helping ourselves through helping our neighbours

Chairmen,
My Lords,
Senators,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First let me thank Mike Gapes and Lord Bowness for this invitation to address you today. I am delighted to have this opportunity to address such a distinguished and influential audience.

We are well-aware of the disaffection sweeping certain EU Member States about the role and direction of the EU. It is understandable that our citizens now take our most impressive achievement, peace, for granted. We should rejoice that they can take it for granted. But that means we have to work hard to show our citizens the EU is relevant to their present-day concerns.

Recent polls have shown both EU citizens and our partner countries want the EU to play a greater role on the international stage. There is strong public support for a more effective EU foreign policy, meeting global challenges like terrorism, poverty, and political instability.

So I am pleased to have this opportunity discuss with you the EU's newest foreign policy tool, the European Neighbourhood Policy. It is one of the EU's most important contributions to tackling our citizens' concerns.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Europe has changed immensely since this group met in Vienna under Austria's EU Presidency in 1998. We have seen the historic reunification of our continent and the end to what one of Britain's greatest orators and a member of this House described as an "iron curtain" across the continent. As he so eloquently put it, "If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance, there would be no limit to the happiness, to the prosperity and the glory which its people would enjoy."

That common inheritance, the values that shape today's European Union - the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy and good governance, is as valid today as 60 years ago. But physically the EU looks very different even compared to 18 months ago.

Not only do we now have borders with Belarus and Ukraine but we also have a much longer border with Russia. Within a couple of years we will have a border with Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and the Black Sea region. The remaining candidate countries bring borders with Bosnia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq and Syria. And we already share a sea border with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.

Why do I stress this? Because borders matter - not as a way of defining ourselves, but because they are key to many of our citizens' urgent concerns - security, migration, and economic growth. Unfortunately those concerns do limit the endless happiness, prosperity and glory Sir Winston foresaw.

Increasing our security relies heavily on the way we control our borders, as you discussed this morning in your session on terrorism.

Effectively dealing with migration should be high on our agenda, not only for our citizens' concerns about competition for jobs, but also to make poor and unstable parts of the world more attractive places for people to live. The recent scenes from North Africa vividly illustrate that point.

Boosting Europe's economic growth requires us to seek out new markets and allow our companies to benefit from economies of scale, whilst assisting our citizens to adjust to new challenges and opportunities.

How do we manage these issues about which our citizens are, rightly, concerned? "Fortress Europe" is not the answer. We cannot delude ourselves that by turning inwards and building the barricades high we will find a solution. On the contrary, only by opening ourselves up to the world will we protect our long term interests. The "European Family" must be open, above all to its immediate neighbours.

Borders have an important role to play. But they cannot be solely about barriers and obstacles, they must work flexibly, as a facilitator of economic, social and cultural exchanges. They should not create dividing lines between peoples and ideas but rather promote a network of interconnected interests, allowing exchanges and contacts to flourish. Borders are not only about protecting our citizens, but also about breaking down barriers between peoples and cultures.

That, in its essence, is what the European Neighbourhood Policy is about. It is about making our borders work better, not only in terms of protocols and procedures but through our relations with and assistance to our neighbours. It is about responding to our citizens' concerns for security, stability and prosperity, not with an abstract concept but with concrete, measurable results. And it is about helping our neighbours towards their own stability, prosperity and security, not by imposing reforms, but by supporting and encouraging reformers.

Our traditional approach to projecting security and stability beyond our borders has been enlargement. But we cannot enlarge ad infinitum, and it is possible that we may be reaching the limits of what EU public opinion can bear, at least for the time being. We will honour our commitments to those already on track for membership, but we cannot allow ourselves to get ahead of our public opinion.

This political reality makes the European Neighbourhood Policy even more important.

So what exactly is this policy? Let me give you a brief outline.

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is founded on the premise that by helping our neighbours we help ourselves. It provides us with a new framework and new tools for promoting good government and economic development in the EU's neighbourhood. And it utilises the valuable experience we have already gained of assisting countries in transition.

It's also a way of responding to our neighbours' desire for closer relations with the EU, without entering into discussions of membership. Thereby enabling us to build closer relations with them, irrespective of the specific nature of their future relationship with the EU.

The ENP works on the basis of ENP Action Plans, jointly agreed with partners, that identify priorities for action in a broad range of areas. Our partners make precise commitments to strengthen the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights; to promote market-oriented economic reforms; and to cooperate on key foreign policy objectives such as counter-terrorism and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The EU offers a share in the EU's single market; closer cooperation on energy and transport links; and a chance to participate in the EU's internal programmes - so increasing our people to people contacts.

Differentiation is key - each country's Action Plan responds to its particular needs and capacities. In addition, progress is rewarded with greater incentives and benefits. As countries take steps to implement their commitments, the EU will respond. We aim to support and encourage the reform process, not impose reforms from outside.

Questions have been raised as to whether the incentives on offer are sufficient to encourage reform, and whether this is not simply a repackaging of old policies in new clothes. My response is two-fold. First, the impetus for meaningful reform must always come from within. If that desire is not there, no amount of external assistance or pressure will build sustainable reform. That is why the EU believes in encouraging not imposing reform. Second, the EU's offer through ENP is not a second-best option to enlargement, but rather a highly-desirable step-change in our relations offering substantive benefits to all involved.

I am well aware that the best answer to our critics is to demonstrate the tangible difference the policy has made. It is early days of course. Serious reforms take years, not months. But we already have results to show for our new policy.

Let me give you some examples.

1) Security

On 1 December an EU-funded border assistance mission will begin work on the Moldova-Ukraine border. This is a significant contribution to the EU's desire for greater security, both for itself and its neighbourhood. The Mission will build capacity for border management, including customs, on the whole Moldova-Ukraine border. So helping to prevent trafficking in people, smuggling of goods, the proliferation of weapons and customs fraud. And ensuring that money previously diverted from Moldova's customs revenues ends up in the right place.

It is also an important step towards facilitating the end of the frozen conflict in Transnistria. For we should not forget that while the majority of Europe's citizens can take peace for granted, for others, that peace is yet to be won. And while there is conflict - even frozen conflict - on any part of our continent, none of us can live in total security.

There are other examples of how ENP is helping to increase security. We have used the ENP Action Plans signed with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to facilitate practical cooperation on issues such as trade, energy and transport. And we have provided technical assistance which will support the establishment of joint offices and further coordination of shared energy and transport systems. Such steps towards increased cooperation and economic growth are absolutely vital for a sustainable solution to the Middle East conflict. By making progress on these kind of issues we are contributing in a meaningful way to building peace in that troubled part of the world.

2) Migration and stability

Dealing with our citizens' concerns about migration is a complex matter. But ENP provides us with at least part of the answer. Citizens of countries which fail to offer security, the prospect of a decent life or job, or the right to speak understandably seek to create a better life for themselves elsewhere.

It is by helping to create conditions of greater prosperity, stability and security that we do most to tackle the problem. So we are working with our neighbours to ensure better living conditions in their countries and beyond. We are providing assistance for educational and economic reforms, exchanges of officials to share the EU's experience, and technical assistance for legal and governmental institutions.

The Action Plans signed with Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia are supporting political reform, including by setting up the first-ever fora to discuss democracy and governance issues. And we are establishing a new "governance facility fund" (from 2007) offering extra financial assistance to those countries that make impressive progress in implementing political reforms and promoting human rights.

We are also tackling illegal immigration head on by assisting our neighbours to improve their migration management and refugee protection capacity; enhance document security, and increase border control capacity. Negotiations are ongoing for a readmission agreement with Morocco - which we hope to sign at the Summit in Barcelona next month to celebrate 10 years of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

We will also sign a readmission agreement with Ukraine, which is being negotiated in parallel with discussions on visa facilitation. I anticipate Member States will approve our proposal for a negotiating mandate on visa facilitation at the Council meeting next week. We want businessmen, officials, students and tourists from our neighbours to travel to the EU more easily. This will send an important signal that we are not a Fortress Europe, we simply seek to manage migration.

3) Economic growth and prosperity

ENP is also making a major contribution to economic growth and increased prosperity. By helping the countries move their legislation closer to ours, harmonise standards and increase cooperation on transport and energy, we facilitate their access to our internal market and opportunities for trade.

In response to the peaceful resolution to Ukraine's "Orange Revolution" last year we set out 10 priority actions to support and facilitate Ukraine's reforms. Progress in implementing those actions has been guided by the pace of Ukraine's reforms, and the conduct of next year's parliamentary elections will also be key.

But the EU has been keeping its commitments. We hope we will be able to respond to Ukraine's economic reforms by announcing Market Economy Status at the 1 December EU-Ukraine Summit. We know how important this is to Ukraine, so we have responded quickly to their steps towards this. The Summit will also be the occasion for us to endorse a Memorandum of Understanding on energy cooperation, which the Commission has been working on throughout this year.

I could mention other examples of concrete progress in this year of ENP, which will contribute to increased prosperity, security and stability for both us and our neighbours. Several neighbours have adopted their ENP Action Plan as the basis for their national development strategy. And the International Financial Institutions want to cooperate closely with us as we implement ENP. So although it is still early days, we are on the right track.

And we have ambitious goals for the future. Next year we will adopt five Action Plans, with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia and Lebanon. Plus a preparatory report on Algeria. We hope to expand full participation in ENP to Belarus, Libya and Syria, as soon as the political conditions allow. And with the first wave of ENP countries, we will focus on delivering more concrete results, to show that serious reforms will be met with seriously strengthened relations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

ENP is a win-win policy, based on mutual interest and shared values. We share our neighbours' desire to press forward with reform and become more prosperous and stable. We want to increase our security, prosperity and stability, and theirs. And we want to tackle our citizens' most pressing concerns - security, migration and economic prosperity.

ENP is a good example of the added value the EU can bring to its citizens, working on areas that it makes more sense to tackle as the Union as a whole than as individual member states.

But we will only see the policy fulfil its potential if we give it sustained support in the crucial early years. So I look to you to ensure your governments give us the necessary financial and political support to implement it effectively.

I also look to you to communicate this new foreign policy tool to your fellow committee members and to the broader public. As elected representatives of the EU's citizens you are best placed to communicate what Europe is doing to respond to their concerns.

To repeat: the ENP is not a rhetorical invention of Brussels-speak but a pragmatic response to the challenges Europe faces today.

We must build on our historic links to the South and the East, extending the reach of the European Family by building new, deeper relations with our neighbours. The European Neighbourhood Policy is the ideal tool to achieve that, and I count on your support in the months and years to come.

Thank you and I look forward to our discussion.

Ref: SP05-297EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 31/10/2005

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