Address of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, at Meeting of the Assembly's Bureau

 Honorable colleague, Ms. Maritxell Batet Lamaña, Speaker of the Spanish Congress of Deputies and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean,

Honorable colleague, Ms. Eva Kaili, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean,

Honorable colleague, Mr. Mohamed Abou El Enein, Deputy-Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean,

Your Excellencies, the Ambassadors,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Esteemed audience,

First, I would like to express my utmost pride in meeting you again in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, and welcome you to the seat of the Moroccan House of Representatives. I would also like to thank you for accepting our invitation and participating in the second meeting of the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean under the Moroccan Presidency.

Honorable colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

We meet today, as the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, amidst a very tough regional and global context, which complexity is aggravated by the successive events, armed conflicts and crises, and regression of trust in international relations, and I would not be exaggerating if I say that such problems and challenges that face the global community today, have not taken place in the world since the end of World War II.

Following the pandemic of Covid-19, whose health, social, economic, and psychological repercussions have reigned over the world, the consequences of climate imbalances are aggravating, and hence resulting in very conflicting phenomena, such as acute drought and the record rise in temperature, on the one hand, and the floods and hurricanes on the other.

However, despite that, humanity had hopes that economies would recover and launch new dynamics of international exchanges, but the escalation of regional conflicts and the rise of a new conflict in Eastern Europe has curbed all these dynamics. This conflict has resulted in fear of war, which has caused a wide energy shock, which has repercussions and costs we have all come to know. Moreover, the implications of war have dominated European markets, as apprehension, uncertainty, and lack of trust in the future are overwhelming, thus impacting production and supply, raising the prices of staples, and reinforcing doubts about food security, which has repercussions on social stability for both Southern and Northern countries.

We all agree that our Euro-Mediterranean region is one of the geopolitical regions most impacted by the international and regional explosive and unstable contexts. In this vein, the new factors have deepened the suffering of our region and aggravated its conditions, given that it is the geopolitical space that has suffered and still suffers from all the instability factors and manifestations. In fact, our region is the arena of the oldest and most dangerous wars and conflicts in contemporary history, in which backgrounds are arising several internal armed conflicts in many countries. The peoples of our region are most touched by terrorism, extremism, and violence condemned by all cultures, religions, and civilizations. Additionally, the Mediterranean countries also suffer from the repercussions of climate imbalances more than others, as the water scarcity increases, the forest cover regresses, the soil is exerted, and the pollution of sea waters grows. Consequently, all these phenomena jeopardize the projects and plans for sustainable development and quality of life.

All this results in deepening gaps within the same country and between the Northern and Southern shores of the Mediterranean, which would increase illegal and unsafe migration, and aggravate the daily tragedies that result from it.

Honorable colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

We indeed share the same assessment of the nature of the threats and challenges we face together. We also certainly share the same anxiety and lack of optimism for the future in the light of developments in events, as much as we share the degree to which we feel responsible for the present and the future.

However, let us build new and deep-rooted parliamentary policies and visions and strive for partnership mechanisms that are appropriate to the successive events and commensurate with the scale of the severe challenges we face.

Just as the launch of the Barcelona process in 1995 gave birth to the hope of a shared space of prosperity in the Euro-Mediterranean region, which was strengthened in 1998 by the launching of the parliamentary wing of this process within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum, and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in 2004, which later became the parliamentary wing of the Union for the Mediterranean, let us today launch new initiatives that give hope to our peoples and make them trust the effectiveness of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and embody the values that we share.

In this regard, we are called upon, as the parliamentary wing of this partnership, to act in a spirit of anticipation and contribute to preventing conflicts and their growth, as there could be no development and democracy without common security and sustainable peace.

We are required to correct our representations of several social phenomena, foremost among which is the phenomenon of irregular migration. In this regard, we should be well aware of the role of the countries of the South in preventing migration and all the costs involved, and of the value the effort and expense of integrating and regularizing migrants (and the report issued last week by the European Union, which commended the actions of the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of migration, may be a testimony that helps to estimate this cost). Besides, we must act on this phenomenon because we are confronted and in conflict with human trafficking gangs and the tragedies of the people, not in conflict with migrants driven to migrate by poverty and insecurity.

On the other hand, political elites are required to counter hate speech and rhetoric that turn migration into the subject of electoral bidding.

In all contexts, we must defend institutional democracy based on partisan pluralism, constitutions, laws, and the rule of free and transparent ballots. In this respect, democratic institutions are the incubator for all rights and protect against the dangers of intolerance, introversion, extremism, and totalitarianism that thrive in crises and threat contexts.

We must also, and this is essential and convergent, confront any tendency, policy, or movement that threatens the security, territorial integrity and safety, and sovereignty of States. There is no threat more severe than secession and plans to dismantle States, which are the fertile ground for terrorism, sectarianism, violence, and defaulting States or Non-State cases.

There is no doubt that the pluralistic nature of our multilateral Organization, which enjoys democratic legitimacy, and institutional, legal, and symbolic powers, and the diversity of its political components, will help to launch proactive initiatives on the horizon to which I have referred, in consultation with Governments and with the involvement of civil societies and the public opinion.

Honorable colleagues,

We should recognize the value of the Mediterranean region regaining its pivotal historical and civilizational role in exchanges, global stability, and restoring confidence in international relations in a troubled worldwide context and tense international relations.

If this trust is critical with the growing tendency to create a multipolar system, North-South solidarity, acting based on shared responsibility, and fulfilling commitments remain indispensable entry points. The preoccupation of our partners in the North with events in Eastern Europe should not discourage their interest in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, which should be renewed in a way that is conformant to the new context because the stability, progress, and development of the countries of the South are the levers of Europe's prosperity and stability.

In the legislative institutions, we must give hope to this partnership, which should produce impactful projects, making our people feel its effectiveness. We must work politically, civilly, and institutionally to restore the spirit of Fez, Granada, Alexandria, Córdoba, and Athens and revive Barcelona's spirit and aspirations.

I welcome you again and thank you for your keen listening.