Welcome
The Italian Parliament took on the Presidency of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) in Amman on 14 March 2010, in compliance with the annual rotation envisaged by the Rules of Procedure.
Italy has always seen the Mediterranean as a strategic axis. In this spirit, Italy hosted the meeting establishing the EMPA, which was recognised as the institutional parliamentary dimension of the Barcelona Process at the ministerial conference held in Naples at the end of the semester of Italian Presidency of the EU in December 2003.
The role of the EMPA was confirmed at the July 2008 Paris Summit, which marked the revival of the Barcelona Process through the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). Thus, the Italian Presidency's primary commitment will be to substantiate the EMPA representative function within the UfM.
Peace and stability in the Mediterranean and the Middle East are an international policy priority. The EMPA can give its decisive contribution toward achieving this goal thanks to its unique role as an international forum where all negotiating parties have always had the opportunity to continue to exchange views.
This is a role that the Italian Presidency intends to highlight by focusing the Assembly's activities on peace policies, education for co-existence and recognition of common values.
Moreover, the Italian initiative will aim at developing Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in order to attain such important objectives as:
- Establishing a Euro-Mediterranean development Bank which may act as a catalyst for economic activities in the region and provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises;
- Redoubling efforts to tackle environmental challenges, with special regard to the protection of the marine habitat;
- Defining a common strategy on migration and the integration of migrants into the social-economic fabric of receiving countries.
Finally, the Italian Presidency intends to enhance the EMPA role as a forum for political dialogue, based on the mutual recognition of analytical, practical and critical capabilities, in order to promote the rule of law, democracy, human rights and political pluralism.
Il Presidente
del Senato della Repubblica
Il Presidente
della Camera dei Deputati
Italian Presidency
Forthcoming
Related Links
- Italian Parliament
- European Union
- Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean
- Council of Europe
- EMUNI University
- Anna Lindh Foundation
- League of Arab States
- Parliamentary Assembly
of the Mediterranean