Democracy may be a priority in the EU's southern policy

The Daily Star

"Democracy may be a priority in the EU's southern policy

By Haizam Amirah-Fernandez
Commentary by
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

When the European Union (EU) launched the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, or the Barcelona Process, in 1995 with the participation of 15 of its southern neighbors, the declared objective was to create a 'zone of peace, stability, and security in the Mediterranean.'

The process outlined a wide range of economic, political, and cultural measures, following in part the Helsinki model of 1975. European security objectives were to be achieved by, first, stimulating economic development in southern Mediterranean countries in order to mitigate socio-economic problems; second, promoting democratic governance and respect for human rights in the region; and third, improving mutual social and cultural awareness on both sides of the Mediterranean."