mr president i also wish to congratulate ms napoletano not only on the excellent report she has produced but also for the valuable cooperation she has offered to the shadow rapporteurs
the subject matter of the report is extremely important as it deals with the prospect of having a euro-mediterranean union of states bound together through friendship and cooperation and aiming at the common goal of achieving peace stability and prosperity for their citizens
this is not an easy task not least because regional conflicts such as the israeli-palestinian problem are not easy to resolve or even to cope with sometimes
nevertheless hope must never be given up and the union for the mediterranean can only be of help in keeping such hope alive
and who knows
perhaps it would help to turn hope into reality in the form of long-term stability and lasting solutions to regional problems
it is important to note in this debate the valuable contribution made to the initiation of the proposed project by the french government and it is also important to reiterate that the formation of the union for the mediterranean is not offered as an alternative to turkey's planned accession to the eu
we should make sure that the turkish people know and understand that there is no such hidden aim or trickery
finally with regard to the amendments before us the alde group with the pse group have agreed on five compromise amendments aiming to improve further the report
the additional five amendments submitted by the gue ngl group are not thought to be very helpful and will not be supported by my group
my congratulations once again to the rapporteur
