25 years since the Barcelona Process was launched

Alfonso Lucini: "The migration problem in the Mediterranean will only be solved on the basis of co-responsibility"

photo_camera Alfonso Lucini

Alfonso Lucini, Ambassador on Special Mission for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Affairs, analysed the situation in the Mediterranean on Atalayar's Capital Radio programme on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. Lucini reviewed some of the most burning issues, such as the necessary collaboration between Europe and its southern neighbours following the pandemic, the problem of migration and the change of paradigm following the US elections. 

First of all, I would like to ask him about his assessment of what happened in Iran with the assassination of the considered "father of the nuclear plan" and the direct accusations made against Israel.  

It is too early to make an assessment; we are now in the first phase of accusations, which have been denied... This type of issue should be assessed calmly and with as much information as possible. We are still in the most mediatic phase of the affair; an assessment will have to be made in a broad context.  

Let us talk about the Mediterranean, just when we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a project for the future, which is very exciting for the countries around the Mediterranean, of territorial and regional cooperation. How are these agreements coming along?

Indeed, twenty-five years ago in Barcelona a fact occurred that we can describe, without fear of exaggeration, as extraordinary. On that occasion, all the countries of the European Union ( there were 15 at the time), plus the southern Mediterranean partners, were able to meet and agree on a work programme with a very ambitious goal, which was to turn the Euro-Mediterranean area into an area of peace, stability and shared prosperity. Twenty-five years have passed, and the truth is that we are far from achieving that objective, but the spirit of Barcelona is still there. Circumstances have changed greatly in recent years; on the one hand, there were well-founded hopes of progress in the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflict following the Madrid conference of 1991 and the Oslo accords of 1993. The European Union itself wanted to play an important role on the international stage; the first steps were being taken in what later became the common foreign and security policy. 

The current situation is completely different. We are in a Mediterranean with open conflicts such as that of Libya and Syria, with geopolitical tensions of new players who did not operate, at least in the same way as in 1995: political-religious tensions, economic and demographic tensions, strains over the exploitation of energy resources, climatic tensions, etc. Under these circumstances it is true that such an ambitious objective of 1995 has not been achieved, but the Union for the Mediterranean, since 2008 an international organisation which has inherited the conference and the Barcelona Process, continues to do everything possible to achieve this goal.  

Alfonso Lucini

And what has been put on the table in the meetings held to mark the anniversary?

In particular, actions undertaken last Friday in Barcelona and online, since the meeting could not be fully attended due to the pandemic, have been to reaffirm those principles and objectives and to adopt a concrete work agenda, with very specific priorities in five areas such as climate change, digital transformation, sustainable economy, social inclusion and cooperation in civil protection. These are projects within the spirit of the Union for the Mediterranean in which all Member States are involved, not all of them in all projects, but several in each of these projects, which aim to improve the lives of citizens, are cross-border in nature and whose ultimate objective is to contribute to creating an atmosphere of cooperation, which in turn will make it possible to resolve the conflicts and tensions affecting the Mediterranean today in the appropriate forums for this purpose. 

The forum held on Friday was chaired by King Philip VI, who warned that failure to achieve these objectives would risk creating a rift between two worlds that are far from each other. 

We are all aware that there is a great truth in His Majesty's words and that is why, despite all the tensions and all the problems, we are still able to sit down together for the Union in the Mediterranean. Please note that the Union for the Mediterranean is, apart from the United Nations, the only forum where not only all the members of the European Union, but also the Palestinians and the Israelis, Turkey and Egypt, Morocco and Algeria, etc., dialogue and approve projects in which they participate together, despite the tensions. This is very important. All the countries of the Union for the Mediterranean have political will, as they are aware that there is indeed that risk of fracture to which Your Majesty referred the other day. Therefore, they know that we need to revitalise and give new impetus to the Union for the Mediterranean, because it is the essential tool that we all have at our disposal to change a very complex situation in our common sea.  

Alfonso Lucini

Are we Europeans aware of the importance of supporting this type of initiative, not only with resources but also with the necessary political support? Not only in Spain, but also in other countries within the European Union.  

Yes, I would say that the situation in which we find ourselves, with the coronavirus pandemic, has increasingly highlighted, if necessary, the importance of the immediate neighbourhood and the cross-border nature of a whole series of threats, including the pandemic. The countries of the European Union are increasingly convinced that there are no national borders. Like the Baltic border which affects the countries of the south, the Mediterranean border is not just a border which affects Spain, Italy or Greece; it is a border which affects the whole of the European Union in a context of increasingly inevitable, but increasingly weak, globalisation, as the pandemic has shown. There is certainly a growing awareness in Europe that a common Mediterranean policy is needed. Indeed, last Friday's meeting was preceded by another meeting on Thursday between EU foreign ministers and Southern countries. The main aim of both meetings was to relaunch Euro-Mediterranean policy in its twofold dimension: the bilateral one, which is a bilateral relationship between the EU and each of the nine neighbouring countries ( ten if we consider Syria, which is temporarily excluded for obvious reasons); and the multilateral dimension, which is embodied in that forum, the Union for the Mediterranean.  

Did you have an opportunity to give some impetus to these cooperation relations, for example between Morocco and Algeria at a time of tension in the Western Sahara following the events of the Guergerat crossing? 

Well, you know that this type of meeting, when it can be entirely face-to-face, gives rise to a series of contacts, not always open, but which serve to improve the atmosphere. On this occasion, these contacts have not taken place because the meeting was largely virtual. The two co-presidencies of the Union for the Mediterranean were in Barcelona, namely the European External Action Service, represented by the High Representative Josep Borrell, and Jordan's foreign minister, who is co-president for the southern countries. In addition to the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs as the host and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, who is Egyptian diplomat Nasser Kamel. The rest of the participants were connected telematically.  

In recent weeks we have seen the transfer of a very serious problem in the Mediterranean, namely immigration from the most common routes to the Atlantic, specifically from Mauritania and Morocco to the Canary Islands. Do you think this is the most pressing social problem in the countries around the Mediterranean? 

It is one of the problems, I would not say the only one or the most pressing, but it is clearly one of the relevant ones. Immigration has become a structural phenomenon, it will always be there, what we have to do is try to manage the flows in the most sensible way possible, and in this sense, the problem of migration was present in the discussions which took place last Friday. The fundamental line of all those who spoke about this issue, both host countries and countries of transit or origin of migration, is that this can only be solved on the basis of co-responsibility, which is one of the basic principles governing cooperation within the Union for the Mediterranean. It is indeed one of the major problems affecting the Mediterranean today with countries that have become net exporters, not only of refugees for political reasons but also of migrants for economic reasons. All this in a context exacerbated by digital networks and by the mafias that engage in this type of trafficking. It is not just a real problem but also one that affects the political discourse in the host countries, as it undoubtedly leads to the rise of populism, xenophobia and exclusionary nationalism, which could end up jeopardising the old unitary project on which European construction is based.

Alfonso Lucini

Was this summit able to reduce the strong tensions with Turkey, especially in countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel, due to the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean? 

The Union for the Mediterranean is not an instrument for resolving conflicts or tensions directly, it is an instrument for creating an atmosphere, through cooperation in specific projects, which can help these conflicts or tensions to be resolved in the forums that are appropriate for this purpose. From this point of view, the mere fact that the ministerial meeting is taking place the other day and that all participants can speak openly and express their concerns, undoubtedly contributes to the improvement of this atmosphere for resolving relations. 

What influence, if any, do you think the change in the White House with Joe Biden may have on addressing these situations in the Mediterranean? 

This is a question that has no answer yet. There will certainly be a change from the previous administration. There are contradictory signals coming from Washington and the future Administration at the moment. At times it seems that the so-called "disengagement" of the United States in the Mediterranean is going to continue. On the other hand, other indicators are indicating that there may be a change in the approach to the problems and in America's attitude towards them. I personally believe that this "disengagement" has not yet taken place completely and that we are not going to witness a radical transformation, but there will undoubtedly be a change in style, and we will see this in fundamental issues such as relations with Iran and the approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which we call the Middle East Peace Process.

Some other powers are very interested in the southern Mediterranean countries, such as China, which has been building infrastructures and developing much activity to defend its interests in the area, or Russia, which must always be taken into account. 

We spoke earlier about how circumstances and new actors in the area have changed since 1995 when the Barcelona conference was held. Indeed, there are major phenomena of the moment which are contributing to the creation of a series of geopolitical tensions in the area: Russia's return, China's landing, a new activism of Turkey, the Gulf countries and Iran in areas such as Syria and Lebanon, etc. The great complexity of the Mediterranean today is one of the elements that must be taken into account.

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