EC/Israel Euro-Mediterranean association agreement

In presenting his report, Mr Caligaris (UPE, I) pointed out that the agreement was being signed at a particularly important moment. Stressing that economics should be used to promote political development, he hoped that the signing of the agreement would have a cumulative effect on the peace process in the Middle East. He also wanted to see a more visible European presence in this region, as this would help Israel build peace, an operation that had to include the disarmament of the fundamentalists who were out to wreck the process. Commissioner van den Broek stressed that the ties between the European Union and the State of Israel had to be not just economic but also political in nature. The economic concessions made by the Union under the terms of the agreement were a tangible sign of Europe’s willingness to aid a country that could well become the driving force behind the socio-economic development of the region. The Commissioner concluded by focusing on the progressive nature of the agreement and expressed the hope that additional sectors of the economy would be included in it.