Edito
Lyes BELARIBI, statement from the executive producer
« The Mediterranean plan, a shared destiny.»
« Six Arabic television stations from the southern and eastern shores (Algeria, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Syria and Morocco) have joined forces with three regional unions and associations (ASBU, COPEAM and EBU) to implement a 1-year project under the leadership of France Télévisions to produce, exchange and broadcast three hundred news features, forty current affairs programmes and nine documentaries related to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, all driven by a spirit of solidarity. Initiated by the European Commission, this project aims to raise greater awareness of the partnership initiatives developed in countries involved in the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Beyond the economic goals, this experience also aims to consolidate and maintain the tools and mechanisms for cooperation and exchange between broadcasters in the Euro-Mediterranean region with a view to realising the Mediterranean plan… a plan that has been much anticipated and challenged since the Barcelona Conference in 1995 and the Union for the Mediterranean Summit in July 2008. The audiovisual materials we are planning to produce, exchange and broadcast will explore the countries on the path of progress and development, drawing on the active and creative contribution of those on the fringes of society, namely young people and women. Shown to a mass audience through the regional Euro-Mediterranean and Arabic partnership networks, they will deliver a message of hope for the future of a region that will eventually overcome its differences and conflicts to become – or recreate – a vibrant cultural area where people and their aspirations for shared peace, security and prosperity will drive reflection and action. »