The “democratic awakening of Arab societies” was the theme of debate of today’s European Parliament delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries meeting, that was jointly held with the Foreign Affairs committee. However the recent developments in Egypt and Tunisia are not an independent happening but the consequence of a whole popular process that had been happening in the last years resulting from the frustration of people’s aspirations in social, political and economic life; moreover, the democratic pursue of the procedure must have proceed with the deep involvement of EU and not just trough words, the MEP’s in the room defended.

The first chapter of Neighborhood policy puts democracy and human rights as a priority, but it is merely not being followed as it should be, the Mashreq delegation chair defended.

“Even though the people is standing up in the streets, there’re structural faults that EU should help to resolve immediately” – Kamel Jendoubi, President of the EuroMediterranean Human Rights Network has pointed out – “the sending of human rights  observers to Egypt, the liberty of expression on all the Arab world and the free of journalists and political actors, an impartial research in the country, effective authorities to assure the transition until free elections, and also the financial support for the democratic change”.

Hugues Mingarelli, Managing director Middle East and Southern Neighbourhood of EEAS, explained that an EU delegation has already met with three representatives from Tunisia’s interim government and is gathering institutional building experts to help in the electoral process but also admitted that the EU has been ambiguous in relation to Egypt and Tunisia and that the communication from the External Action Service has failed. There are many questions that were not clearly addressed such as “the necessity of the immediate transition processes and the determination of EU to accompany all the process”, he confessed. In addition, meetings with the civil society actors and with youth and women organizations should still take place and matters as the partnership mobility and the cohesion policies have to be further developed, the MEP’s remembered.

“When debating the future we have to look at the past and see how EU’s commercial relations has unfortunately prevailed to the people’s will, and it would be extremely important that popular movements in Egypt could bring positive contaminations to other Arab states, namely to Palestine and the West bank, GUE/NGL MEP and EL vice president Marisa Matias underlined.