The Barcelona Declaration and the Mediterranean Union

The history of a development that's taken place mostly in silence. By the Morpheus Project.

Get It Try It

Since the 1960s, the political elites of Europe have established a series of cooperative agreements, treaties, organisations, and unions with Arab states on the Mediterranean. Primarily, these efforts aim at increasing free trade between Europe and the Arab world, securing the availability of oil from the Middle East, and, in addition, increasing immigration and spreading Islam to Europe.

This development has taken place in silence - it has not been covered by the media.

This article highlights the history of these agreements and how the treaties have evolved up to now.

The background to these treaties between Europe and the Arab states starts with the collapse of the French colonial empire. During the 1900s, the French colonial empire was second largest in the world, surpassed only by the British empire (which is the largest the world has ever seen). When the French empire was greatest in the 1930s, it had 110 million inhabitants and stretched from the Caribbean through Africa to Southeast Asia. During the 1950s and 1960s, almost 30 colonies declared their independence from France. The culmination was reached during the Algerian liberation war. In only a few decades, France lost a land area larger than the whole of Europe.

In the 1960s, France was a wounded former world power, humiliated by occupation during World War II and by the loss of its colonies. In addition, the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union began to dominate world affairs, leading to anti-American sentiment in France. President Charles de Gaulle attempted to re-assert France as a force in the world political arena, and so turned his eyes on the ancient colonies of the Arab world. At a press conference on 27 November 1967, Gaulle declared that France would cooperate with the Arab states and that it 'would be the fundamental base for French foreign policy'.

The Yom Kippur war broke out six years later, in October 1973. Egypt and Syria, along with expedition troops from eight other Arab countries, launched a massive offensive against Israel at the height of Yom Kippur. Against all odds, Israel succeeded in defeating the much stronger Arab forces. The oil-producing Arab countries exacted revenge by raising oil prices for countries that supported Israel. The countries affected by this were the US, Britain, Canada and Japan. And so the 1973 oil crisis.

At this stage, anti-American France saw its opportunity for a deepened cooperation with the ancient colonies of the Arab world. On the initiative of President George Pompidou and Foreign Minister Michel Jobert, the Euro-Arabic dialogue ('Le dialogue euro-arabe') began. The first meeting was held in Copenhagen in December 1973. The official website of MEDEA (the European Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro-Arab Cooperation) states:

'The Euro-Arab Dialogue as a forum shared by the European Community and the League of Arab States arose out of a French initiative and was launched at the European Council in Copenhagen in December 1973, shortly after the October War and the oil embargo. As the Europeans saw it, it was to be a forum to discuss economic affairs, while the Arab side saw it rather as one to discuss political affairs.'

Nine European countries participated in the Euro-Arabic dialogue. The European countries wanted to secure access to oil from the Middle East and get cheap labour from the Arab countries for European industry. In return, the Arab states demanded the following of Western European countries: access to western technology, political independence from the US, demonisation of Israel as a threat to world peace, increased immigration from the Arab countries, and the spread of Islam in Europe. Furthermore, the Palestinians were to be recognised as an independent people with Arafat as leader of their PLO.



The Euro-Arab Dialogue was formalised by the Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Cooperation at a meeting in Paris in March 1974. (As a matter of fact, the Swedish parliament decided the following year that Sweden would become 'multicultural'.) The immediate consequences of the Euro-Arab Treaty were that labour immigration increased sharply to France from Algeria and several other former colonies. In addition, Western European media began to report increasingly negatively about Israel, whilst Palestine and PLO were portrayed in positive light, a trend that continues even today, not in the least in Swedish media.

There are very few public documents and protocols from the Euro-Arabic dialogue, but there are even more testimonies from interviews with participants. Amongst other things, the British-Egyptian author Bat Ye'or has documented much from the Euro-Arabic dialogue in his books. The data on the Euro-Arabic dialogue also get the credibility of a series of declarations, treaties, and unions that are well documented in public documents - within the EU.

It's worth noting that Islam was practiced in a significantly more moderate form in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was more a form of secular socialism being used in Nasser's Egypt, Gaddafi's Libya, the Ba'ath parties in Iraq and Syria, and so forth. In this clip from 1958, one can see Nasser and his audience laughing at the demand from the Muslim Brotherhood for women's veils in Egypt. The purpose of European leaders in promoting muslim cultural centres was, at that time, more about showing respect for religious minorities in Europe.



In the 1980s and 1990s, islam experienced a resurgence, thanks to the Shia-muslim revolution in Iran and the oil boom in the Middle East, which led to, amongst other things, Saudi Arabia and several other arab states sponsoring the expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood. In parallel with this radicalisation of Islam, the Euro-Arab Dialogue was followed by a number of declarations, treaties, and unions which are well documented in the official records of the EEC and the EU.

The Barcelona Declaration

In 1995, the EU and a dozen Arab states agreed on the Barcelona Declaration, forming the basis of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed). The Barcelona Declaration contains three main sections:

1. Political and Security Partnership: Establishing a common area of peace and stability
2. Economic and Financial Partnership: Building a zone of shared prosperity
3. Partnership in Social, Cultural and Human Affairs: Developing Human Resources, Promoting Understanding between Cultures and Exchanges between Civil Societies

The Barcelona Declaration confirmed several of the principles that existed previously in the framework of the Euro-Arabic dialogue. The section on 'Economic and Financial Partnership' includes:

'With a view to creating appropriate conditions for investment in and activities by energy companies, future cooperation will focus, inter alia on:

[...]

'- oil and gas exploration, refining, transportation, distribution, and regional and trans-regional trade...

'- coal production and handling.'

In other words, oil supplies from the Middle East to Europe are to be secured. In addition, there are several articles in the Barcelona Declaration aimed at regulating free trade between the Middle East and the EU. This free trade is not as harmless as one might imagine, and consequently is something to revisit.



The section on 'Partnership in Social, Cultural and Human Affairs' states, inter alia:

'Greater understanding among the major religions present in the EuroMediterranean region will facilitate greater mutual tolerance and cooperation. Support will be given to periodic meetings of representatives of religions and religious institutions as well as theologians, academics and others concerned, with the aim of breaking down prejudice, ignorance and fanaticism and fostering cooperation at grassroots level.

[...]

'They reaffirm that dialogue and respect between cultures and religions are a necessary precondition for bringing the peoples closer. In this connection they stress the importance of the role the mass media can play in the reciprocal recognition and understanding of cultures as a source of mutual enrichment...'

In short, Islam (the largest religion in the Mediterranean region) is spreading in Europe, using religious institutions and the media. In addition, the people of the Arab countries and Europe should 'approach' each other. This is reminiscent of the movements of people, 'approach' ('сближение') and internationalisation in the Soviet Union. (Eastern European countries opposed the urgent movements of people in the context of the Soviet Union's internationalisation, a pattern that continues to this day as the same Visegrad countries refuse to join the EU's mandatory asylum quotas.)

Furthermore, it is stated in the Barcelona Declaration:

'Close interaction between the media will work in favour of better cultural understanding. The European Union will actively promote such interaction, in particular through the ongoing MED-Media programme. An annual meeting of representatives of the media will be organised in this context.

[...]

'They underline the importance of waging a determined campaign against racism, xenophobia and intolerance and agree to cooperate to that end.'

Here, in the EU's own bureaucratic language, one can read what would be the politically correct opinion corridor that has permeated Western European mass media in recent decades. The EU has even called meetings with media representatives to ensure that the directives on political correctness have the desired effect. Journalists who oppose reporting according to the Barcelona Declaration Code of Ethics will be treated by a 'targeted campaign' and called 'xenophobic racists'.

As for migration, the following is stated in the Barcelona Declaration:

'Given the importance of the issue of migration for EuroMediterranean relations, meetings will be encouraged in order to make proposals concerning migration flows and pressures. These meetings will take account of experience acquired, inter alia, under the MED-Migration programme, particularly as regards improving the living conditions of migrants legally established in the Union.'

In the wake of the Barcelona Declaration, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed) was formed. Over the years, Euromed published a series of association agreements to implement the Barcelona Declaration Guidelines.

In June 2000 came the Common Strategy of the European Council - Vision of the EU for the Mediterranean Region, which further developed strategic cooperation between the Arab world and the EU. This document contains the following wording:

'There must be a review of the legal systems, and in particular civil law problems relating to the laws of succession and family law, including divorce, to make them more transparent and predictable.'

Plain English: secular laws in the European Union should be reviewed in order to be made more compatible and transparent with regard to sharia requirements for family law.

Furthermore, in the EU document entitled 'Common Strategy on the Mediterranean Region A5-0008/2001':

'Urges the Council and Commission to reconsider, simplify and increase the access of NGOs, associations and the social partners to decision-making mechanisms and the management of the programs.'

NGO stands of course for non-governmental organisation, of which the most famous are George Soros' Open Society Foundations. George Soros, who was behind the currency speculation against the Swedish krona in the 1990s and Black Wednesday in Britain, has also been accused of funding illegal immigration to the EU. Among other things, Soro's left-liberal NGOs have been working for Hungary to open their border for free immigration. In addition, Soros sponsored a handbook on illegal immigration to the EU, and he proposed in an op-ed that each EU country should pay €15,000 for each immigrant annually and that the states will borrow (partly from his financial institution) to finance this.

Furthermore, several NGOs are active in the Mediterranean to help economic immigrants illegally travel from Libya to Sicily.

This year, a list of EU politicians who were 'trusted allies' of Soros was leaked. There are several Swedish politicians on this list, from all parliamentary parties save the Sweden Democrats. The complete list includes the following Swedish EU politicians:

Lars Adaktusson, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, Malin Björk, Peter Eriksson, Fredrick Federley, Christopher Fjellner, Gunnar Hökmark, Olle Ludvigsson, Jens Nilsson, Soraya Post, Bodil Seballos, Marita Ulvskog, Cecilia Wikström.

In December 2003, a further governance document described this partnership with the Arab world: 'Strengthening the EU's Partnership with the Arab World'. Two of the co-authors were EU higher-ups Javier Solana (EU Secretary-General) and Romani Prodi (President of the European Commission). This document repeatedly stressed the guidelines of the Barcelona Declaration, emphasising amongst other things that 'the Arab immigrants make a substantial contribution to the development of Europe' and that 'cultural and religious dialogues should be encouraged'. This document also provides more details on how to develop free trade between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the EU.

'The EU should:

'Continue trade liberalisation in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership context with further liberalisation of agriculture and services and the full incorporation of regional cumulation of origin; conclude and implement the EU / GCC Free Trade Agreement; promote co-operation with GCC countries on issues such as the creation of a GCC single currency, or a GCC common commercial policy and single market.'

In other words, Javier Solana and Romani Prodi pushed for the EU to open up their single market for free trade with the Gulf States. This becomes even more remarkable when studying the protocol of 'Sixth Euro-Med Ministerial Conference: reinforcing and bringing the Partnership forward' held in Brussels on 28 November 2003:

'This initiative offers the EU's neighbouring partners, in exchange for tangible political and economic reforms, gradual integration into the expanded European internal market and the possibility of ultimately reaching the EU's four fundamental freedoms: free movement of goods, services, capital and people.'

Free movement between the Gulf States and the EU would also include people. This would in practice lead to free immigration from the Middle East to the EU. The attempt to get a free trade agreement between the EU and the GCC, 'EU-GCC Cooperation Agreements', started in 1988 but stranded in 2008.

In 2004, the next initiative came along in this 'cooperation project' when the EU decided to include the Arab Mediterranean countries within the framework of the 'European Neighbourhood Policy'. The minutes of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Dublin in May 2004 state:

'Work is now in progress to develop an agreed view on relations with the area which extends from Mauritania to Iran - the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The [European] Union has proposed to include Mediterranean partners in the European Neighbourhood Policy.'

In the same year, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (PA-UfM) was formed. Its function is to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and to work together on Euro-Arab affairs. The following year, in March 2005, Margot Wallström gave a speech to explain how the European Neighborhood Policy would co-operate with the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

In February 2006 came the next initiative of the European organisation European Movements: 'European Movement International and its Mediterranean Committee, Algiers Declaration for a Shared Vision of the Future'. This declaration covers a great deal on how education in Europe should be reformed to deal with 'trans-cultural education'.

Furthermore:

'It is necessary to emphasise the positive contribution made by migrants to the development of both their countries of origin and of immigration. All action concerning migration flows should be supported, which is based on a global and long-term approach and takes gender into account. Contractual agreements concerning the mobility of people who contribute to dialogue and cooperation must be respected in an effective manner.'

An example of a EU politician propagating for major immigration from the Middle East is Cecilia Malmström (EU Commissioner responsible for asylum and migration issues between 2010 and 2014). In 2012, she wrote a joint op-ed with Bilderberg attendee Peter Sutherland (UN Refugee Envoy) advocating a major immigration to the EU from the Middle East.

They wrote, inter alia:

'Last year, during the Arab spring, the EU missed a historic opportunity to begin merging the Mediterranean beaches by not opening the door for students, entrepreneurs and other North Africans. Now the EU is trying to approach its neighbours in the south with free trade agreements, visa facilitation for university students, temporary workforce programs, and incentives to attract entrepreneurs.'

The latest and heaviest political initiative is the Mediterranean Union. The Mediterranean Union (UfM) is an international organisation of 43 countries from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, founded in 2008 at the 'Paris Summit for the Mediterranean' with the aim of strengthening Euromed which was formed after the Barcelona Declaration. The Union is to regulate six projects: business development, research and education, social affairs, energy and climate issues, transport and housing development, as well as water and environment. Initially, France was the host country for the Northern Presidency, but since 2012 the EU is responsible. The southern presidency was held by Egypt between 2008-2012 and then by Jordan.

All these EU projects to propagate for immigration from the Middle East have basically taken place on the sly, without review by the media. One explanation for this is that the EU organised conferences with the media for the purpose of showing them how to portray immigration in a positive light.

Whilst the peoples of Europe have basically been ignorant of these plans and projects, Muslim immigration has lasted for decades, and escalated during the asylum crisis in 2015. The Muslim Brotherhood, the Saudi Arabian wahabists, and several other Salafist and Sunni Middle Eastern organisations have not been tardy in exploiting the opportunities and benefits offered under the EU-Arab Treaties. Muslim organisations have sponsored thousands of mosques and Islamic cultural centres for several billion in Europe. For example, Saudi Arabia offered Germany 'help' to sponsor 200 Salafist mosques for the 1.1 million Muslim asylum seekers who arrived in 2015.

Another example of how the EU and the Islamists interact in an unhealthy alliance is an op-ed by Miqdaad Versi in The Guardian. In this article, Versi encourages Britain's Muslims to vote against Brexit and thus remain in the EU. He also compares the EU with Ummah (the Muslim World Community):

'For many European countries, it seems that the EU is that 'ummah'. It is not surprising that many Muslims relate to that concept.'

In France, where the Euro-Arabic dialogue began in the 1970s, Islam has moved its positions forward. An estimated 5-15 million Muslims live in France. There are 2,300 mosques in the country, and another 200 are being built. France also has major problems with tens of thousands of radicalised Muslims, and has been affected by several Islamic terrorist acts. There are also Islamic political parties, such as the PEJ (Parti Égalité Justice) which plans to stand for French parliamentary elections.

Charles de Gaulle's strategy for increasing cooperation with the Arab world has undoubtedly been put into practice over the past 40 years - but things probably didn't turn out as he'd wanted. The Euro-Arabic dialogue opened a Pandora's box in the 1970s.

The question now is: can it be closed?

'This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.'

See Also
European Commission: The Barcelona Declaration
European Commission: The Barcelona Declaration (Archive)
Morpheus Project: Barcelonadeklarationen och Medelhavsunionen (SV)