The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, has welcomed the European Commission review of the European Neighbourhood Policy, saying the EU’s relations with its neighbours needed “a thorough overhaul” and calling for “strong support and engagement from all Member States”.
“We need an open partnership in which our citizens have a real stake,” he said in a statement. “The neighbourhood policy towards both the Southern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe must focus on this priority. It must reflect the spirit of solidarity and be flexible enough to accommodate approaches tailored to each country.”
Buzek strongly welcomed the ‘more for more’ approach: “Greater political and financial support should be available for neighbourhood countries which undertake reforms with vigour and determination and move towards a functioning democracy and market economy. Strengthening the compatibility between our systems is of crucial importance and will benefit all partners.”
In the case of the Eastern Partnership, he said it was important to give the most advanced partners a quicker path towards the EU, adding: “We have created the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly that aims to bring together experiences, ideas, best practices and shared values, all in a democratic spirit.”
“As regards the Southern Mediterranean, I call for a pragmatic re-launching of the Union for the Mediterranean. We have established and important parliamentary dialogue with our southern neighbours and it needs to be supported by pragmatic actions at the governmental level.”
Only strong democracy could lead to long-term stability and prosperity, Buzek insisted: “The revised Policy should centre on dialogue with civil society, NGOs and democratic forces in European Neighbourhood countries. Europe has a special role to play in defending human rights and our common values. This is true especially with regard to our neighbourhood, but also beyond. In this task we should be uncompromising.”
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