The Parliamentary Assembly draws attention to the fact that social exclusion, owing to its globalisation, is a serious problem affecting both the Council of Europe member states and the Maghreb countries. This interaction between the two shores of the Mediterranean can no longer be countered without consultation. With the same social challenges to meet, the Council of Europe must therefore carry on its collaboration with Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to put in place common global strategies against social exclusion.
Social exclusion in the Maghreb countries actuates a process of pauperisation which has consequences in many realms and affects policies on childhood (ill-treatment, illiteracy), health (access to care) and social questions (social segregation, equal opportunities).
As social exclusion causes emigration, the Council of Europe member states, which this phenomenon already affects strongly, are faced with new forms of social exclusion (discrimination in recruitment and housing) but also with poverty or unemployment which are harsher for the Maghrebi populations settled in Europe and for their children and grandchildren who have become European citizens.
The Assembly therefore recalls that the 3rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe, held in Warsaw on 16 and 17 May 2005, and Resolutions 1506 (2006) 1598 (2008) and Recommendations 1724 (2005) and 1825 (2008), advocated strengthening co-operation with the Maghreb countries.
In so doing the Parliamentary Assembly would simply be extending the work undertaken by other Council of Europe institutions or bodies such as the North-South Centre which promotes global interdependence and solidarity policies, or MedNet, the Mediterranean Network for co-operation on drugs and addictions of the Pompidou Group.
Consequently, there is a clear need for this collaboration undertaken with the Maghreb countries to be furthered in the area of fighting social exclusion.