The European Union (EU) on Friday renewed its call for a census in Polisario-administered camps in Tindouf, southern Algeria, Morocco’s state media MAP reported.

Christoph Heusgen, Germana’ys permanent representative at the UN, made the statement on behalf of EU member  countries.

Speaking before the 4th Committee of the UN General Assembly, the German diplomat said that the EU remains “concerned” about the repercussions of the Sahara conflict on security and stability in the region. 

Heusgen also noted the worsening conditions in the camps, underlining that the international community needs to go beyond providing humanitarian assistance for distressed Sahrawis in the camps. 

Invoking the latest UN report and Security Council resolution on the Western Sahara territorial dispute, the EU representative argued that a census by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would confer more effectiveness to any UN efforts or and monioring initiatives in the camps. 

The statement comes as the Polisario Front, the militant front calling for independence in Western Sahara, faces a persistent torrent of accusations and reports on mismanagement, embezzlement, and “extrajudicial executions” in the Tindouf camps. 

Meanwhile, the recent months have also seen Morocco’s position take the upper hand in the UN-moderated political process to end the decades-long dispute. 

Late last month, both the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General commenced Morocco’s commitment to the political process while urging Polisario to show similar commitment to the pragmatism and compromise spirit of the UN agenda for a lasting and politically negotiated resolution. 

Read also: UN Report Stresses Hunger Pandemic, Malnutrition in Tindouf Camps

Referring to these recent developments, Heusgen said that Brussels is determined to accompany “the commitment of the UN Secretary General to relaunch negotiations.”

According to the German diplomat, the goal is to sustain the “new momentum and a new spirit leading to the resumption of the political process, with the objective of achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.”

As the international community grapples with seemingly escalating tensions in the buffer zone, Heusgen noted, the EU wishes to “encourage the parties to show political will and work in an atmosphere that is conducive… to a new phase of negotiations in good faith and without preconditions and taking note of the efforts made and developments since 2006.”

The German diplomat’s reference to post-2006 developments in the territorial conflict is an apparent nod to Morocco’s widely applauded Autonomy Plan. 

Morocco submitted its resolution plan to the UN in 2007, proposing local autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. The idea is for the region’s inhabitants to have full control over the management of their social, economic, and political development plans while Morocco handles defense and diplomacy.

In recent years, Morocco’s plan has received plaudits from many observers and diplomats, including from permanent members — most notably France and the US — of the UN Security Council. 

Most observers have described the Moroccan plan as a “credible” and viable path to a lasting resolution of the dispute. 

Belgian minister of state and former president of the Belgian House of Representatives Andre Flahaut said in a recent interview that Morocco’s “balanced” and “common-sense” autonomy plan is “the only possible way” out of the enduring Sahara crisis. 

LONDON, Nov 8 — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today a trade deal with the European Union was “there to be done”, with its broad outline already “pretty clear”.

“I’ve always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends and partners,” Johnson told reporters.

“I think it’s there to be done, the broad outlines are pretty clear. We just need to get on and do it if we can. And I said that to (European Commission President) Ursula Von der Leyen just yesterday. And she totally agrees with me.” — Reuters

Johannesburg – Against a backdrop of the harsh realities of Covid-19 potentially deterring investment, there have been renewed calls for a review of transformation laws in South Africa, particularly the impact of B-BBEE empowerment regulations on EU companies.

Investors are concerned about the lack of clarity concerning policy and structural reforms with the B-BBEE policy, one of which has been described as often eliciting a “deer-in-the-headlights” response from even the most seasoned investors”, said the findings of a new study unveiled during a webinar attended by top European diplomats, including the EU Ambassador to South Africa, Dr Riina Kionka.

Entitled EU Investors’ Responses to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE): A Skills Enhancement Model by research expert Feroza Samaai-Abader, the study emphasised support for empowerment, acknowledging that South Africa offers many attractive assets for foreign investors, such as its diversified and advanced economy, its abundance of natural resources and its well-developed infrastructure.

Samaai-Abader, whose report was commissioned by the EU-funded “EU-South Africa Partners for Growth” Project, described the B-BBEE policy as the government’s key instrument in reconstruction and development. Through this policy, she said economic transformation has progressed from being just a strategic vision to a legislated, measurable actuality.

“But as the proponents of B-BBEE sought to increase the regulatory and measurability aspects of the legislation, the policy, primarily affected through the codes of good practice, has become rather convoluted and complex, often frustrating businesses rather than encouraging transformative practices,” Samaai-Abader said.

 The EU is facing a complex mess of problems: the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic shock it has caused and the chronic global challenges of climate change and vanishing biodiversity. Hard times have provoked a historical response and now the plan is to boost economic recovery and sustainable transition with a 750 billion stimulus package. The package was agreed on by the EU leaders together with the EU budget for the 2021-2027 period in July. This fall these agreements are processed in national parliaments and the European parliament, so the time is ripe for some serious debate about the policies and the direction of the union.

 This far in Finland the debate has followed familiar lines. Many are counting how much we pay to the EU and how much we receive in return. As the recovery is funded with capital raised together from the financial markets accusations of looming federalism are thrown around. Some are outright declaring that this is no longer the union the Finns voted to join!

 I’m in no position to dictate the debate. Anyone is free to bring in the points of view, perspectives and remarks they see relevant. Still, I feel that the EU discussion here often misses the point of the Union altogether and has quite a narrow perspective and somewhat nationalistic tone.

 Assessing the net benefit of EU membership is understandable but assessing the union mainly as a box where you put money and get some of it back makes little sense. The EU is a tightly integrated political and economic union. Analyzing it and its impacts by the national bookkeeping only doesn’t really give a complete picture. It’s difficult to count the exact economic value of shared standards for example, not to mention the lasting peace and security. 

 As for federalism, just tossing the word around is not exactly fruitful. Depending on how you define the term, the EU has been a federation for a long time, is on the way of becoming one or under current treaties can never be one. The label is not as important as the mandate of the union in relation to its member states. We could use more clearly stated visions as to what kind of EU are different political parties and politicians striving to build. The opponents of the EU should articulate their alternative path too. Getting out of the union is by no means a simple solution (just ask the Brits!).

 Now is the EU of today the one the Finns originally voted for? Of course not. Nor is Finland or the surrounding world the same as it was. We didn’t join into a changeless structure, but into a developing union in which we also have a say. Over a quarter of Finns living today weren’t even born at the time of the referendum and around half weren’t old enough to vote. For people grown up in a European Finland this part of the debate is quite distant.

 The European Union or its current policies are by no means perfect. The union seems dangerously weak in protecting its core values and democracy both within and outside its borders. The climate and energy policies of the EU are weighed down by the focus on means instead of ends. The success of the recovery package is not certain at all and depends on its ambitious execution. The challenges in negotiating new treaties lead to complicated readings of current treaties. In general, the governance structure and decision-making processes are far from transparent and are not helped by the clumsy communication. Still, the EU is an invaluable community that can be thanked for much of the European freedom, prosperity and peace we are enjoying today. The union is also critically needed as a global leader in tackling the ecological crises we are facing. 

The time calls for analytical, comprehensive, constructive and open EU debate with a European view. Radical ideas are welcome too, but it’s important that the forward-looking debate doesn’t get buried under populistic rhetoric and isolationism.

Atte Harjanne – MP

Photographer: Marko Seuranen 

This article was written for MP Talk, a regular column from the Helsinki Times in which Members of The Finnish Parliament contribute their thoughts and opinions. All opinions voiced are entirely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Helsinki Times. 

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