NAPLES 2003 : A TRANSITIONAL FORUM

1. Content

Discussions between the different parties in Chania and further in Brussels resulted in a compromise between the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo and the NGO Platform for the Euromed Civil Forum on the content and themes of the Naples Civil Forum

Two main themes and two horizontal themes were identified.

The main themes :

a) Sustainable development (including issues linked to employment) ;

b) Good governance and reinforcement of civil society.

The horizontal themes :

c) EU enlargement and the new neighbourhood policies;

d) The situation in the Euromed region after the war in Iraq.

2. Strategy

The objective is to move as close as possible towards a reformed civil forum.   The Platform has previously established the following demands which must be respected when future civil forums are held:

A /Before the Civil Forum meeting: an open and democratic preparatory process based on:

·        Consultations between actors from civil society and the public authorities (notably the Commission and delegations from the countries concerned), both in terms of agenda and the choice of persons involved, must be effective.

·        All persons engaged (on the basis of prior consultation) must respect the clauses in a single document of Terms of Reference, valid for all future forums

·        All civil forums must be subject to the authority of a steering committee which will guarantee smooth-running, transparency (notably financial) and respect for the terms of reference as well as evaluation methods and criteria.

·        The composition of this steering committee should reflect the diversity of independent civil society. The steering committee (and any organising authority) must include representatives from the EuroMed Platform, constituted regional networks, national platforms,..

·        The priority themes, programme, location, format of the preparatory process and all running methods must be made the object of consultation amongst the actors concerned.

·        Preparatory meetings, which will take place primarily in the South, are an integral part of the Civil Forum. The aim of the meetings is to involve the independent social actors and create a dynamic of approval and participation, including on the choice of themes and participants.

·        The criteria for choosing or designating participants must be clearly identified and - at all times - respect the independence of actors from civil society, as well as balanced male/female, north/south national/network representation.

·        It’s essential that freedom of movement for civil society representatives is guaranteed. The public authorities and the steering committee must ensure that visas are delivered to everyone, and the freedom of movement of the Palestinian representatives.

B / During: a very free, conspicuous moment

·        Ensure that conditions favour meetings and discussions (a single site for accommodation and meetings must be looked into)

·        Guarantee freedom (and equality) of speech

·        Ensure that programming permits thematic meetings and opens windows onto current events

·        Ensure that information and documents are properly circulated between the different working groups

·        Organise things in a way which facilitates re-grouping and the validation of conclusions

·        Make sure that the media is involved with the presence of journalists and by setting up effective methods for distributing information.

C / Afterwards: bringing  to life recommendations through:

·        An obligation to publicise information in the media and within Euro-Mediterranean civil societies

·        The pilot committee returning to the public authorities and having discussions

·        Asking for a written reply by the EU Commission to the proposals in the final declaration

It is clear that it will be very difficult to meet all these conditions for Naples, but we must do our utmost to move closer to these objectives