Date of release : 31-03-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : Euro-Mediterranean Civil Forum

Over 250 civil society representatives from the Euro-Mediterranean region (which encompasses the 25 countries of the European Union and Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey) will meet in Luxembourg from 1 to 3 April on the occasion of the 10th Euro-Mediterranean Civil Forum. With support from the Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union and from the European Commission, this event aims to strengthen civil society’s role in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (also known as the "Barcelona Process") as well as to gather the civil society's contribution in view of the 7th Euro-Mediterranean conference of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Luxembourg 30-31 May 2005) and the tenth anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration (Barcelona, November 2005)

By holding various thematic workshops on priority issues identified by Euro-Mediterranean civil society, the Civil Forum will seek to bolster and renew exchanges among the civil societies of the Euro-Mediterranean region and to strengthen civil society and its involvement in the Barcelona Process, enhanced through the European Union’s "Neighbourhood Policy".

Jean Asselborn, Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration and current President of the Council of the European Union, will deliver a welcoming address to all of the Civil Forum’s participants at a reception that he will offer on Friday, 1 April.