PARTNERSHIP IN SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND HUMAN AFFAIRS:

The participants recognize that the traditions of culture and civilization throughout the Mediterranean region, dialogue between these cultures and exchanges at human, scientific and technological level are an essential factor in bringing their peoples closer, promoting understanding between them and improving their perception of each other.

In this spirit, the participants agree to establish a partnership in social, cultural and human affairs. To this end:

-they reaffirm that dialogue and respect between cultures and religions are a necessary pre-condition 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;

-they stress the essential nature of the development of human resources, both as regards the education and training of young people in particular and in the area culture. They express their intent to promote cultural exchanges and knowledge of other languages, respecting the cultural identity of each partner, and to implement a lasting policy of educational and cultural programmes; in this context the partners undertake to adopt measures to facilitate human exchanges, in particular by improving administrative procedures;

-they underline the importance of the health sector for sustainable development a express their intention of promoting the effective participation of the community in operations to improve health and well-being;

-they recognize the importance of social development which, in their view, must go hand in hand with any economic development. They attach particular importance to respect for fundamental social rights, including the right to development;

-they recognize the essential contribution civil society can make in the process of development of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and as an essential factor for greater understanding and closeness between peoples;

-they accordingly agree to strengthen and/or introduce the necessary instruments of decentralized cooperation to encourage exchanges between those active in development within the framework of national laws: leaders of political and civil society, the cultural and religious world, universities, the research community, the media, organizations, the trade unions and public and private enterprises;

-on this basis, they recognize the importance of encouraging contacts and exchanges between young people in the context of programmes for decentralised cooperation;

-they will encourage actions of support for democratic institutions and for the strengthening of the rule of law and civil society;

-they recognize that current population trends represent a priority challenge which must be counterbalanced by appropriate policies to accelerate economic take-off,

-they acknowledge the importance of the role played by migration in their relationships. They agree to strengthen their cooperation to reduce migratory pressures, among other things through vocational training programmes and programmes of assistance for job creation. They undertake to guarantee protection of all the rights recognized under existing legislation of migrants legally resident in their respective territories;

-in the area of legal immigration they decide to establish closer cooperation. In this context, the partners, aware of their responsibility for readmission, agree to adopt the relevant provisions and measures, by means of bilateral agreements or arrangements, in order to readmit their nationals who are in an illegal situation. To that end, the Member States of the European Union take citizens to mean nationals of the Member States, as defined for Community purposes,

-they agree to strengthen cooperation by means of various measures to prevent terrorism and fight it more effectively together,

-by the same token they consider it necessary to fight jointly and effectively against drug trafficking, international crime and corruption;

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