Partners in dialogue
Once every 5 years, the European Union holds a Civil Forum during which Euro-Mediterranean partners outline their concerns about civil society. Habib Maalouf, president of the Lebanese Association for Environment and Development (LAED), and Patrick Renauld, head of the European Union Delegation in Lebanon, have attended the latest Forum. They had different opinions.
Habib Maalouf argues
On the eve of the Civil Forum, our delegation held preliminary meetings to discuss the Mediterranean partnership and its influence on various sectors of social life (culture, environment, gender equality, personal status, etc). During the Forum, we noticed that the Partnership agreement is uppermost commercial and economic and obscures many social aspects. On another hand, European delegates attending the Forum were mostly immigrants of Arab origins. After all, do problems with the Mediterranean involve Southern countries only?
Besides, the main question raised by Europeans was the free circulation of people and the solution to the problem of immigration. Europe hosts 23 million legal immigrants and 4 million illegal ones. These immigrants claim equal rights to those of the native citizens, and Europe is dealing with such demands suspiciously. To resolve immigration problems, Europe is offering economic growth solutions that had catastrophic consequences inside the Old continent itself. The Occidental development scheme has shown its limits. Our countries are called to find their own growth solutions that would preserve their environment and traditions…
Patrick Renauld replies
This is an interesting point of view. Habib Maalouf outlines the way to follow for a better understanding of what we are offering. Through the Neighborhood Policy, we aim at becoming real partners. Everyone must find his interest in it. We do not want to impose our growth scheme, arguing that it is the ideal model. We would like to share some of the experiences we succeeded in implementing in the European Union. The question is not about choosing between Arab identity and Occidentalism, but rather about getting together around common values. Our ambition is to help every country follow its own path, through an Action plan.
Concerning the civil society, NGOs are asking us to help them possess means of action. We are ready to do that. EU grants funds to people according to the importance of their projects and not according to their beliefs. Now the question is: what level of independency could one have from the source funding him? The answer is simple: as much as a newspaper can be independent vis-à-vis its advertisers. It is the responsibility of the organization to preserve its own independency and evaluate its breathing space.
During the Civil Forum, we were asked why funds were allocated to governments and not to the civil society. We are working on this, but we should not neglect the fact that governments offer the guarantees that European tax payers often require. Getting into the European internal market goes beyond the process of exporting Lebanese products (or Tunisian, or…). It is about creating enterprises, being able to invest and integrate values and principles that are not at all related to Arab identity or to Occidentalism. Do not tell me that one can find in Arab values an invitation to disdain women or torture prisoners!
Fifi Abou Dib
Journalist
(Excerpts from Cahiers Euromed, 2005)
I agree with Mr. Renauld, EU’s projects in Lebanon are enormous, and the union is trying to balance funds among both The Lebanese Government and Lebanese NGOs and civil society. I believe what the union is trying to do is offering means to strengthen the Lebanese government that has been struggling for years to attain economical growth despite the political instability Lebanon has been facing. In return, the government is dedicating a lot of the grants and funds it’s receiving to support many NGOs it finds helpful for both the country and the EU – Lebanese relationships.
Being Lebanese and Phoenician show the importance of dialogue; my ancestors managed to spread their civilization without arms nor military acts. Cultural dialogue remains the strongest way to convince.
Mr. Maalouf was right 100%, because not all the European funds allocated for projects in South reach the real beneficiaries from Youth and liberity thereto that represents 70% of the population in our region who need 100 million job opportunities in the coming 20 years, however funds reach businessmen and Gov. responsibles/delegates represented in Specialst Gov. Councils or Ministries which is very well known hear and the rate of poverty exagerating.
I definitely agree with Mr. Renauld and I think that our mission is to strengthen the building capabilities of local NGOs.
Your reactions
I would like to be brief and thank Europa Jaratona program for its achievments in Jordan.
On: E-TVET reform (Jordan)
It is good to hear that there is someone who really cares about our historical monuments. While reading the article, I was hoping to find so many Tunisian names to make sure that, also, in our country there are people who are hell-bent on preserving what is left of a glorious history. Tunisia, thanks to its location, welcomed many civilizations whose leaders built huge and glorious buildings. Not only in cities near the shores, but also in the far west cities like Sbitla, Kasserin...
I believe that in order to save the surviving monuments, there should be a campaign to make Tunisians aware of the significance of such a loss if those buildings become ruins.
On: Initiatives to preserve Tunisian architecture
I have read this article with cautious and i was not happy of the approaches being written due i guess to lack of real understanding of current environmental issues we are facing. The problem of pollution will not be tackled only through fundings bec most of the money used is not appropriately used and if ever used we seek the traditional methods the old fashion way. We need to look at alternatives , less costs , better and more sustainable output. Waste problems are derived from mass consumerism and lack of understanding of what our lives should mean to us as far as human values and choices we should take in life. Building waste water treatment is needed but what is more needed is eduation and awereness and return to ethics and values. We can keep dumping money on projects but who would assure me that our resources are being well taken care of and not depleted in a fast way? Where is the concept of sustainibility?
On: Mediterranean pollution “hot spots” under control by 2020?
Our partners
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The European union cooperation with the Mediterranean countries is a plus value for these countries in comparison with other countries around the world. In addition to the closeness to Europe, the Mediterranean countries are benefiting from encouragement and support from the European union in order to go on for their development. The countries have big populations that can benefit from it, as well as a land that is in need for it. The concerned government should seize this opportunity and welcome the EU support by letting the NGOs and the people themselves get the financial support and advices directly.