"This year which marks the tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Process, is an excellent time to think about and discuss how to reactivate the association between the two shores of the Mediterranean, and give it greater political content. For many years, Europe has been looking to the East, seeking a reunification which we have now almost completely achieved. It is time for Europeans to focus more on their relationships to the south."

Extracts from the speech given by the President
to the first Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Cairo,
15 March 2005

President's main speeches on Euromed

Speech by the President at the opening of the Sitting of the Second Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, Brussels, March 2006
Full text

Statement by the President ahead of the Second session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), Brussels, March 2006
Full text

Statement by the President to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels, February 2006
Full text

Speech by the President to the Euro-Mediterranean Summit in Barcelona, 28 November 2005
Full text

Speech by the President at the Euro-Mediterranean Speakers Conference in Barcelona, 25 November 2005
Full text

Speech by the President at the Euromed Women's Conference, 24 November 2005
Full text

Opening speech by the President at the Euromed Parliamentary Assembly's Extraordinary Session, 21 November 2005 (Rabat)
Full text
Listen to the speech

Statement by the President regarding the 10th Anniversary of the Barcelona Process, November 2005
Full text
Listen to the speech

Speech given by the President at the Conference on "Islam and Democracy" in Venice, 30 September 2005
Not yet available

Speech given by the President to the Moroccan Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rabat, 14 September 2005
Full text

Speech given by the President to the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah, 29 June 2005
Full text

Speech given by the President to the Knesset in Jerusalem, 27 June 2005
Full text
Listen to the speech

Opening address by the President at the public hearing on freedom of expression and the development of parliamentary democracy in the Euro-Mediterranean region in Brussels, 23 June 2005
Full text
Listen to the speech

Speech given by the President during the World Economic Forum Conference in Jordan, 20 May 2005
Full text


Speech given by the President to the Arab International Women’s forum in Brussels, 7 April 2005
Full text
Listen to the speech

Speech to the first Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Cairo, 15 March 2005
Full text

Policy priorities for Mr Josep Borrell's Presidency, presented in plenary in Strasbourg, 14 September 2004
Full text
Listen to the speech

President's Euromed visits

Since March 2005, Josep Borrell is the President of the Euromediterranean Assembly. In this context, he went to Egypt, Tunisia, Israël, the Palestinian territories and Morocco and plans to visit other Mediterranean countries in the near future.


Events marking the Tenth Anniversary of Euromed in Barcelona, Spain:

Euromed Tenth Anniversary Summit, 27-28 November 2005

"Ten years of the Barcelona process has not taken us very far down the road to a common area of peace and prosperity. Despite 3 billion euros a year of community investment through MEDA and EIB loans, Europe’s border with the Mediterranean remains the most unequal border in the world. No other has differences of income levels so great in such proximity."

Extract from President's speech at the Euro-Mediterranean Summit in Barcelona

Read the speech by the President to the Euro-Mediterranean Summit


Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Speakers of Parliament, 25-26 November 2005

"The Barcelona Declaration ten years on: assessment of a decade and future perspectives for Euro-Mediterranean Partnership" "Integration, the environment and terrorism make the Mediterranean a microcosm of the problems of the 21st Century. The enlarged Europe has sufficient capacity and potentials to resolve those problems. And that it what the South expects from us. Let us exert pressure on the governments to achieve this."

Extract from President's speech at the Euro-Mediterranean Speakers Conference in Barcelona

Read the Speech by the President at the Euro-Mediterranean Speakers Conference
Watch the video-clip

Euromed Women's Conference, 24 November 2005

"The Declaration adopted at the Barcelona Summit in 1995 and the annexes thereto contain a total of 7,370 words, and yet the word 'women' appears just four times...That is something that has to be changed now that we are preparing to relaunch the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership."

Extract from President's speech at the Euromed Women's Conference in Barcelona

Read the speech by the President at the Euromed Women's Conference





Euromed Parliamentary Assembly's Extraordinary Session  in Morocco - 20-21 November 2005

"We in the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly are the children of the Barcelona Process. We are the parliamentary dimension of that process. By virtue of the nature of our duties, our debates can and must be more open, more transparent and more truthful."

Extract from President's speech to the extraordinary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Rabat

See the programme
Read the President's speech to the extraordinary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Rabat

Joint Press Conference with Abdelwahad Radi, Speaker of the Moroccan Chamber of Representatives, at the Euromed Parliamentary Assembly's Extraordinary Session (21 November 2005, Rabat)

Visit to Morocco - 14-16 September 2005

"I have always firmly believed that Europe’s biggest challenge would lie in its relations with the Arab and Islamic world. Today, Europeans are talking about the need to strengthen their relations with the Islamic world, and the Arab world in particular. Words must now be turned into action."

Extracts from President's speech to the Moroccan Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rabat

See the programme
Read the President's speech to the Moroccan Ministry for Foreign Affairs


Visit to the Middle-East - 27 June - 1st July 2005

“When I see the rise of racism, anti-semitism and islamophobia in Europe, I know that we are interdependent. Peace here is the key to Mediterranean and European security. I wish to encourage both parties to take the difficult steps to find a rational solution before it is too late.”

Extracts from President's press release after his visit to the Middle-East

See the programme
Read the President's speech to the Knesset
Read the President's speech to the Palestinian Legislative Council
Watch the video-clip on the visit


Visit to Jordan, 20- 22 May 2005

"I am not one of those who believes that democratic change is a solution for all problems. Of course it is a precondition, but without education, the possibility of finding employment and respect for human rights, to name but a few, democratic change would constitute only very limited progress. And this is where we as the EU can play a role."

Extract from the President's Speech at the World Economic Forum Conference in Jordan: "Seizing the Moment: People Power and Change in the Middle East"

See the programme
Read the President's speech at the World Economic Forum Conference


Visit to Tunisia, 24 - 28 March 2005

See the programme


Visit to Egypt - 13-15 March 2005

"We are now living in a democratic springtime, and we want to see a democratic decade... I am convinced that as elected political representatives, we need to work together to bring about this democratic decade, and help it to flourish...If there is one place where it should be possible to debate and discuss the real political problems that need to be discussed, with fewer diplomatic glances over our shoulders than usual, it has to be here, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly."

Extracts from President's speech to the First EMPA session in Cairo

See the programme
Read the President's speech to the first Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Cairo

EMPA explained

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), established in Naples on 3 December 2003 by decision of the Ministerial Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is the most recent institution of the Barcelona Process.

The EMPA opened its proceedings in Vouliagmeni (Athens) on 22nd and 23th March 2004 and held its first session in Cairo (Egypt) on 13th and 14th March 2005. Its Bureau comprises the Presidents of the European Parliament, of the Egyptian People's Assembly, of the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies and of the Greek Parliament.

In March 2005, the President of the European Parliament became the President of the EMPA for one year.

The consultative role of the EMPA is to provide parliamentary impetus, input and support for the consolidation and development of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership; to express its views on all issues relating to the Partnership, including the implementation of the association agreements and to adopt resolutions or recommendations, which are not legally binding, addressed to the Euro-Mediterranean Conference.

More information on EP EMPA website