Euro-Mediterranean Security: Moroccan and British Perspectives

The Euro-Mediterranean Security conference aimed to encourage a common approach amongst British, Moroccan, and Euro-Mediterranean regional actors in dealing with common security issues such as non-proliferation, trans-national crime, terrorism, energy resource management and migration. Making best out of the existing regional security architectures was highlighted as a key way of securing greater inter-regional co-operation in dealing with these issues.

High-level talks

Convening a high-level group of Ministers, MPs, Ambassadors and political observers from Morocco and the United Kingdom, discussants included Minister Taïb Fassi Fihri from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Amina Benkhadra from the Ministry for Energy, Water and Environment, State Secretary Saad Hassar from the Ministry of the Interior, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, former Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as Major General Jonathan Shaw from the British Ministry of Defence. In addition, presentations were made by senior UK Foreign Office and Diplomatic representatives accredited to the Maghreb, alongside Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Morocco, Eneko Landaburu.

Regional Security Architecture

The various regional structures developed over the last few decades - mainly the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue and other such myriad of initiatives by the European Union - were considered to have served well the interests of their respective institutions, yet much more synergy was needed in order to make them effective multi-lateral security forums.

In this regard, a lack of a coherent policy towards the region by either the EU or NATO, was noted by participants, stating that it was important for the Europeans to organise themselves before seeking to organise Arab states. Conversely, the need for greater participation and authority being taken by the Southern-rim Mediterranean states within these bodies was highlighted as one of the recurring reasons why the results were often less than the scope of efforts engaged. For this process to take root, participants called for more substantial intergovernmental exchanges and a fundamental building of trust between Maghreb states.

Energy politics and Human Security

The region's ever growing importance as a source and transit point for energy supplies was discussed in terms of encouraging Euro-Mediterranean co-operation, including the importance of averting the potential for conflict further down the line due to climate change related stress on natural resources such as water. The growing market for natural gas in Europe and the ability of states like Algeria to supply those needs was thus seen to provide synergies, as much as the potential for renewable energies such as wind and solar power to support Europe meet its carbon reduction objectives.

The conference stressed the fact that energy is a deeply political issue and that while Europe gets 53% its energy supplies from the region, it does not put in anywhere near that amount of diplomatic or military engagement. Participants also agreed that Arab states could do more themselves and suggested there was a need to increase transparency, reform legal systems, and deal with human security issues such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality.

Remarking upon the notion that human security widened the traditional lens by which governments usually consider security threats, speakers pointed to a reinvigoration of the Middle East Peace Process and the achievement of better social norms across North African nations as necessary sign posts. As in dealing with more traditional threats, all parties agreed in the main that broader co-operation and deeper integration at a sub-regional level is to be encouraged.

Effective Dialogue

This conference saw an overwhelming call for an increase in trust between states in the Mediterranean, and greater regional co-operation over security and energy. A major concern of states in the Maghreb was the continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, which is seen as a root cause for political blockage within most multi-lateral forums. Meanwhile, a concern for European states was the notion that efforts put towards the Mediterranean often met with too little progress as a result of the political reluctance for Southern partners to co-operate amongst themselves.  

The principle conclusions of the conference were thus:

• Regional structures should be maintained and built up, with greater engagement and ownership being sought by the South.
• Europe needed to maintain a consistent engagement with the region aside from terrorism and energy policy.
• Security concerns should be widened to consider human security issues, such as poverty, environment, and education in the Arab world with prevention rather than cure being the watchword.