BRUSSELS, May 2 (KUNA) — The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee will host a high level conference focused on political Islam in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood in Brussels, next Tuesday, May 7.
Representatives of major ruling Islamic political parties from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco will take part in the conference, organised in cooperation with Carnegie Europe, the Royal Institute for International Relations of Belgium and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, noted an EP press release here today.
“The Arab Spring has fundamentally changed the political landscape of Europe’s Southern neighborhood. In the emerging environment, Islamist parties rose as the strongest political contenders for power at the 2012 elections, particularly in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt, and are likely to continue to do well in future elections in other countries,” said a background note about the conference.
“After decades of focusing on relations with the incumbent, authoritarian regimes and limiting dealings with Islamists, there is a strong need for the European Union to fundamentally re-think its relationship with its Southern neighbors and to establish a link to the newly emerged parties in the Middle East North Africa region,” it added.
The conference will be opened by Elmar Brok, Chair of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee. Speakers include Pierre Vimont, Executive Secretary General of the EU’s External Action Service, Mustapha El Khalfi, Minister of Communications, Justice and Development Party (Morocco), Ridha Saidi, Esconomy Minister (Tunisia), Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Rageh Dardery, Member of Parliament, Spokesperson of the Foreign Relations Committee, Freedom and Justice Party (Egypt), Gehad El-Haddad, Senior Adviser, The Muslim Brotherhood and The Freedom and Justice Party (Egypt). The conference will debate how to build new governance structures and institutions; citizenship, polarisation and the balance of powers; and economic challenges in the EU’s southern neighbourhood.
The role of regional powers: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Israel is also one of the topics of the conference.
