Full Minutes of the Meetings

SESSION OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2004

A new impetus to the European Union’s actions in the field of human rights and democratization in cooperation with its Mediterranean partners.

Karamanou (PSE). – Mr. President, it is a fact that the countries of the southeastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East represent an important area of action for the external relations of the European Union, and the present communication from the Commission serves to confirm this.

It is particularly positive that the Commission recognizes that the marginalization of women undermines political representation and hinders the economic and social development of the region. It is true that women in the Mediterranean and Arab countries, despite some improvement in conditions in recent years, continue to suffer from discrimination and gender inequalities. Illiteracy, poverty, domestic violence, inadequate healthcare, and low participation in professional and political life are the main characteristics of the lives of women on the southern shore of the Mediterranean basin and in the countries of the Middle East.

However, the worst of all is that women are the main victims of religious and political fundamentalism, ultraconservatism, and authoritarian regimes, which base much of their power on controlling the sexual behavior of women, their way of life, their reproductive functions, and even their manner of dress. Certainly, the best defense against the forces of backwardness and intolerance is the strengthening of the secular nature of the state and the rule of law in a democratic order.

Our message should be clear. No political system, religious movement, tradition, or custom can be above the respect for the fundamental freedoms of women, human rights, and the rule of law. As long as these basic elements of democratic governance are absent in many countries of the Mediterranean, the hopes for economic and social development and the improvement of women’s status will remain faint, and the resolutions of the conferences held within the framework of the Barcelona Process will be without consequence.

For this reason, we ask the European Commission and the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly to make use of all the mechanisms at their disposal in order to include clear clauses and commitments for the recognition and protection of human rights, the rights of women, and the principles of the rule of law as indispensable conditions for the development of the Mediterranean countries and the promotion of the Mediterranean basin as a region of peace and cooperation.