This report deals with the human rights implications of one of the most important instruments at the disposal of the EU in its relations with its Mediterranean Partners, the MEDA programmes.
These programmes were created in November 1995 by the adoption of the Barcelona Declaration and the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) by the EU Member States and the 12 Mediterranean Partners.
The EMP (also known as the Barcelona process) marked a turning point in the relation between Europe and the Mediterranean. It was formally established to create a zone of peace, prosperity and stability in the Mediterranean region and was founded on the assumption that the way to achieve these goals was by means of economic development, political liberalisation and the building of democratic institutions based on respect for human rights and a strong, independent civil society.
The main elements of the Barcelona process are:
- the establishment of a free trade zone before the year 2010;
- increased political dialogue and cultural, social and human exchange;
- enhanced civil society participation in the development process; and
- the promotion of respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law.
In order to further these aims the EU created the MEDA programmes (MEDA: acronym for mesures d’ajustement) and allocated 4,422 million Euros to financial cooperation with its Mediterranean Partners up until 1999 (supplemented by European Investment Bank (EIB) assistance in the form of increased loans). For the period ranging from 2000 to 2006, the so-called MEDA II was endowed with 5,350 million Euro while the EIB’s lending mandate is 6,400 million.
The aim of the MEDA programmes is to support financial and technical measures to accompany the reform of economic and social structures in the region and to mitigate the negative social and economic consequences which might result from this adjustment for the neediest populations in particular.
This report basically asks how the MEDA programmes relate to the human rights dimension of the Barcelona process and explores ways to assess the implications of the programmes for human rights in the region.