The European Parliament,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council on redirecting the Community's Mediterranean policy (SEC(89) 1961 final),

- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council entitled 'Redirecting the Community's Mediterranean policy - proposals for the period 1992 - 1996' (SEC(90) 812 final),

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mrs Izquierdo Rojo and others on a revamped Mediterranean policy (B3-1153/90),

- having regard to the bilateral financial protocols between the EC and Mediterranean non-member countries (MNCs), which are due to expire on 31 October 1991,

- having regard to the conclusions of the Strasbourg European Council of 8/9 December 1989 on the Community's future relations with Mediterranean non-member countries,

- having regard to the Council decision of 18 December 1990 establishing the global amount of financial resources to be allocated by the EC to Mediterranean third countries for the next five years,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on External Economic Relations (A3-0121/91),

A. whereas the next protocols with Mediterranean non-member countries for the period 1992 - 1996 are due to be signed in 1991,

B. whereas the MNCs are the Community's third largest trade partner and the region is of crucial importance for the Community's energy supply,

C. having regard to the political and social instability in most of the MNCs engendered by the recent Gulf war and the consequences thereof, and to the likelihood of the conflict becoming more widespread and relations in the region becoming even more unstable,

D. whereas the political, social and economic stability of the EEC is dependent to a large extent on peace being achieved in this neighbouring region and on its gradual, harmonious development, which requires a policy of regional cooperation and security based on dialogue and respect for all the peoples and countries concerned,

E. whereas the Gulf war has strongly underlined the need for political means to promote peace in the region by seeking fair and equitable solutions complying with the legal framework set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,

F. whereas the new geopolitical structure of Europe envisaged by the CSCE in Paris should be matched by a substantial commitment to boost cooperation between Europe and the MNCs so that the climate of detente and dialogue in Europe can lead to specific peace initiatives in the Mediterranean,

G. having regard to the historic relations between the Community and the MNCs, their mutual cultural enrichment and the peaceful coexistence of their civilizations in a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect,

H. whereas the pressure of migration from the Mediterranean countries to the Community as a result of the unsatisfactory economic conditions in the MNCs, political and social instability and uncontrolled population growth makes it necessary for the Community to introduce a cooperation policy to meet the needs of the population of the countries in the region and to stimulate their economies so as to provide employment for the local workforce,

I. whereas failure by the EEC to introduce new and fairer trading relations with the MNCs and quantitatively and qualitatively new forms of cooperation to contribute to their development and growth will lead to even greater and more uncontrollable migratory pressures,

1. Affirms that the main objective of the EEC's Mediterranean policy is to achieve the balanced development of the Mediterranean basin and cooperation at all levels, as reflected in the European Community's generously funded Mediterranean programmes to date;

2. Considers that the twelve basic agreements (association and/or cooperation agreements) with the MNCs and their respective protocols have hitherto provided an acceptable legal framework for bilateral relations; considers, however, that, as a result of the changes taking place in the region, the potential risks and the increasing interdependence of the EEC and Mediterranean third countries, mutual relations must be strengthened and improved and must meet the requirements of the present time;

3. Considers that the current framework for multinational relations between the EEC and the MNCs is politically inadequate and that the Commission and Council should devise a global, structured programme for the Mediterranean region, while examining the possibility of relaunching the Mediterranean Cooperation Council (MCC);

4. Urges the Council to give fresh impetus to Mediterranean policy by means of suitable legislative instruments and to reach the necessary consensus with the other Community institutions on measures for the finalization of the revamped Mediterranean policy;

5. Points out that, in view of the economic, political and social disparities and the different levels of development in the 14 Mediterranean non-member countries, a framework of stable and flexible relations with the MNCs is desirable;

6. Believes that a radical revamping of the Community's Mediterranean policy must give priority to regional stability and to a genuine policy of 'good neighbourliness' so that the countries in the Mediterranean region become partners, which is a logical consequence of their traditional historic relations with and geographical proximity to the Community, on condition that the national sovereign rights and external national borders of all the contracting and cooperating parties are respected;

7. Stresses the strategic importance of Mediterranean third countries and their contribution to meeting the Community's energy needs; considers, therefore, that financial and technical cooperation with those countries should be stepped up and trading links transformed into fully-fledged commercial relations;

8. Considers that the trade and cooperation arrangements in respect of Mediterranean non-member countries should provide for suitable mechanisms to ensure that those Member States which are undergoing periods of adjustment or transition do not suffer discriminatory treatment;

9. Urges the Council and Commission to make fundamental changes to the Common Agricultural Policy to improve access for products from Mediterranean countries to the Community market, which is the most effective means of stimulating the economic expansion of these countries;

10. Considers that the six basic proposals set out by the Commission in Annex 2 of its communication to the Council on redirecting the Community's Mediterranean policy constitute a starting point, albeit a somewhat inadequate one, for giving new impetus to financial, economic and technical cooperation with the MNCs and should be reflected principally in trade agreements;

11. Points out that the new impetus given to the revamped Mediterranean policy must be reflected in the new protocols for the forthcoming five-year period and that financial, economic and technical cooperation should be increased;

12. Believes that the Community should act as a stabilizing force between those groups of countries which are geographically close to it; believes, therefore, that it is essential to step up bilateral and multilateral dialogue with the MNCs, particularly on matters such as security, economic cooperation, immigration and demography; considers that, for this purpose, it is necessary to institutionalize the dialogue with the MNCs by providing suitable locations for official discussions, thereby lending substance and topicality to cooperation between the EEC and the MNCs;

13. Stresses the importance of financial and technical cooperation, especially in sectors such as the environment, transport, energy, regional cooperation and business development, these being sectors in which joint ventures could be backed up by EIB loans;

14. Believes that the decline in the economic situation of many MNCs in recent years is not solely the result of demographic growth, balance of payments deficits or external debt, but is also due to factors relating to their economic structures and political and social systems;

15. Expresses its concern at the almost irreversible environmental damage suffered by the Mediterranean and the countries bordering thereon, mainly as a result of the discharge of industrial effluents and hydrocarbons, the poor management of solid resources, the increase in mass tourism and rapid erosion and desertification; in this connection, considers it essential and a matter of urgency to devise a strict, coordinated environmental policy at international level, in the light of the proposals and suggestions made in the UN Blue Plan, involving large-scale projects aimed not only at remedying the current environmental damage but also at preventive measures, to which the EC could contribute, for example by providing technical resources;

16. Welcomes the outcome of the conference held in Palma, Majorca, in September 1990 and expresses the hope that another such conference will be held as soon as possible; considers, also, that it would be useful if several Community sector-based programmes were to be extended to include the MNCs;

17. Proposes a substantial increase in appropriations earmarked for horizontal regional programmes, taking account of the current need to stimulate regional cooperation and bearing in mind that closer cohesion between the Community and its Mediterranean partners is an objective of mutual interest;

18. Believes that it is less important to create a specific structure for Mediterranean funding than to increase the appropriations and loans earmarked for development projects in this area; also supports the creation of a Euro-Arab Fund to achieve a fairer distribution of regional wealth to which the Community's main contribution would be its technical and management resources;

19. Calls on the Council and Commission to launch inter-university exchange programmes to promote cultural understanding and tolerance, in view of the danger of an increasing lack of understanding to which the Gulf crisis has drawn attention;

20. Concerning the two Mediterranean countries with which the Community has no agreements of any kind

(a) calls on the Council and Commission to improve reciprocal relations between Albania and the Community as soon as possible in order to develop and underpin political, cultural, economic, trade and scientific relations under an economic and trade cooperation agreement so as to support the current process of democratization in Albania,

(b) hopes that Libya will join the group of MNCs as soon as possible following the reform of its political and economic system;

21. Welcomes the efforts being made by several MNCs to move towards a pluralist democracy, while regretting that human rights violations exist in other MNCs; accordingly calls for the inclusion of a democratization and human rights clause in future financial protocols; stresses the need for suitable reforms to be introduced into the economic systems of certain Mediterranean non-member countries in order to achieve a more equitable distribution of wealth as well as harmonious development and political stability;

22. Notes with concern the economic crisis facing various MNCs which is leading to serious internal and external imbalances, foreign debt of over $200 000 million, a chronic deficit in the balance of payments, inadequate resources for financing development and a high level of unemployment;

23. Supports the regional integration processes currently under way, particularly the Arab Maghreb Union and the Arab Cooperation Council, which are political and institutional instruments contributing to the settlement of regional conflicts and to the consolidation of the historical identity of those countries;

24. Draws the Council's attention, in view of the direct economic, social and political impact which the Gulf crisis has had on the Maghreb countries, the geographical proximity of this region, its specifically Maghreb culture and the scale of the migration issue, to the urgent need to establish specific preferential relations with the Maghreb countries in the Mediterranean area, the objectives of which must include the promotion of specifically Maghreb projects or projects of mutual interest;

25. Calls on the Council to establish a better partnership with MNCs, in particular the Arab Maghreb countries, with a view to implementing the existing Association Agreement in full;

26. Expresses concern at the gradual rise in religious fundamentalism in several MNCs, this being a phenomenon whose causes are complex but which flourishes in conditions such as serious social crisis and economic exploitation; believes, therefore, that it necessary to take adequate steps to change the economic and social environment so that religious fundamentalism does not degenerate into political crisis, the destabilization of international relations in the Mediterranean or, worse still, into conflicts between civilizations;

27. Notes with concern the economic instability in several MNCs and the constant recurrence of regional conflicts; considers it a matter of urgency, therefore, to devise a new model for relations between all the Mediterranean countries based on stability and peaceful coexistence as advocated in the relevant United Nations resolutions which, through political dialogue and cooperation, will create a climate of détente and security based on mutual trust;

28. Considers it necessary, as part of a new overall Mediterranean strategy, to underpin the principles of democratic dialogue in order to achieve mutual understanding between different cultures and values; therefore considers it necessary to foster contacts between the European Parliament and the parliaments of the MNCs;

29. Considers it necessary to step up the dialogue with the MNCs on political issues of common interest, on economic and sectoral questions and on social and cultural problems;

30. Expresses its wholehearted support for convening the Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean as soon as possible; believes that the EEC and, in particular, the Community bodies should promote this process by all the means at their disposal and that the strategy of confrontation should be replaced by collaboration and convergence;

31. Believes that the spirit of the Helsinki Final Act, adjusted to the egional requirements of the Mediterranean, could serve as a good starting point and suitable model for the CSCM in which all the countries of the Mediterranean region and the EEC, together with the representatives of the Palestinian people, the USA and the USSR, would take part; the CSCM would attempt to introduce a new order of peace and stability in the Mediterranean basin and the neighbouring countries so that good neighbourliness rather than mere coexistence would prevail between the countries and peoples of the region;

32. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the governments of the 14 MNCs.