Europe's future relies on its neighborhood, says UfM's Nasser Kamel

#MiddleEast; #Balkans; #IFIMES; #UfM; #COVID19; #UNEP; Vienna, Austria

Ottawa, Aug 24 (Canadian-Media): Developments in the Middle East, Balkans as well as around the world are analysed by the International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) from Ljubljana, Slovenia, media reports said.

IFIMES. Image credit: www.edu.int

In the text entitled “The future of Europe depends on its neighborhood – UfM’s Dr. Nasser Kamel says,” Guido Lanfranchi, an international affairs specialist based in Den Haag summarizes the speech of Dr. Nasser Kamel, the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) who participated in an international conference discussing the future of Europe in Vienna.

Dr. Nasser Kamel, participated July 1st, 2020  to discuss the future of Europe in an international conference held at the historic setting of the eldest world’s Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria, under the name 'From Victory Day to Corona Disarray: 75 Years Of Europe's Collective Security And Human Rights System.'  

The four partners, IFIMES, Media Platform Modern Diplomacy, International Scientific Journal European Perspectives, and Action Platform Culture for Peace, with the support of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, were responsible for this gathering .

Describing the amplified impact of the COVID-19 on the old issues and long-standing challenges within the Euro-Mediterranean theater, Kamel, recommended in his keynote address that sustainability and more green, blue, and circular resilience should be at the core of the post-COVID-19 recovery, with a focus on enhancing the resilience of societies on both shores of the Mediterranean. 

Kamel also advised the European policymakers that to become a global power, positive engagement with its neighborhood, both east and south was important by replacing hostilities and confrontation with cooperation and by including all EU/Europe neighbors without prejudices.   

Kamel said negative effects of the extremely far-reaching repercussions of the pandemic -- not only in the economic front but also the fragility due to the high levels of inequality and the climate change emergency -- can be countered by resilience through a holistic approach to promote an environmental, social, and economic recovery throughout the whole Euro-Mediterranean region.

Speaking on the uneven impact of the COVID-19 in the Euro-Mediterranean region, Kamel said countries that were more dependent on Asian supply chains, for instance, have been hit harder and faster than others.

Debating about the current economic model and its typical long supply chains, Kamel refused frontal attacks to globalization as an outdated concept, and suggested that Euro-Mediterranean countries should increase their resilience by “proximization", or regionalization of these chains

Kamel said he is currently exploring the potential to create regional supply chains and is working with relevant partners, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), hoping to reach tangible development gains on both shores of the Mediterranean.

Addressing the Vienna Conference while honoring the 25th anniversary of the Euro-MED process, Kamel that besides the oft-discussed economic issues, the importance of environmental consideration, which is a reality,  should be highlighted, which risk slipping at the bottom of the agenda in times of economic crisis

A report developed by a large group of scientists from several different countries, supported by both the UfM and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has highlighted that the impact of climate change in the Euro-Mediterranean is set to be particularly significant due to the region's warming 20% faster than the rest of the world. 

While stressing the interconnectedness of the Euro-Mediterranean region, Kamel said in his concluding remarks, that the future of Europe as a relevant economic, political, and geopolitical power depends on its proactive engagement  with its immediate neighborhood to promote resiliency, environmental consideration, and more economically integrated, which is the aim of UfM.

The four implementing partners along with many participants decided to turn this gathering of  July conference to a meaningful event, named – Vienna Process: Common Future – One Europe.

Video - Vienna Process: Common Future – One EuropeDiplomatic Academy Vienna, 01 July 2020 @UfMSecretariat @forumalpbach @bankimooncentre @IACA_Academy @EU @NATO @UN @EU_Commission @StateDept @antonioguterres @vonderleyen @eucopresident @eu_eeas @coe @EPP https://t.co/zYtobKzIxG

— IFIMES (@IFIMES) July 17, 2020

This initiative was largely welcomed as foundation to establish a permanent forum of periodic gatherings as a space for reflection on the common future by guarding the fundamentals of our European past.

As stated in the closing statement: “past the Brexit the EU Europe becomes smaller and more fragile, while the non-EU Europe grows more detached and disenfranchised”. The prone wish of the organisers and participants is to reverse that trend.   

To this end, the partners are already announced preparing the follow up event in Geneva for early October (to honour the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco Conference). Similar call for a conference comes from Barcelona, Spain which was a birthplace of the EU’s Barcelona Process on detrimental; the strategic Euro-MED dialogue.