Belgian official pleads for deeper Maghreb-Europe relations

Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel pleaded for the consolidation of relations between the European Union and the Maghreb states.

Louis Michel told Belgian daily "La Libre Belgique" of this Monday that the consolidation of European Union-Maghreb relations would lead to an intra-European balance between the north and the south and to the stabilization of the region.

He also touched on the issue of emigration, saying that European countries should assist the countries of the south to curb emigration flows.

Last week, member of the European Parliament, Alain Lamassoure, urged the European Council to adopt a declaration proposing a privileged partnership to the countries of the Maghreb (North Africa), that he described as key partners to the union.

In a story published Thursday by the French Le Monde daily, Lamassoure, a former French minister, stated that the European Council, which is initiating a reform of its institutions in view of the increase of the number of its members, should define its doctrine on the enlargement and on the external borders of the European Union.

The council, he said, should adopt a declaration proposing a privileged partnership to the union's neighbors, taking into account history and shared interests.