Mr Jacques Rocca Serra
Deputy Mayor of Marseille
Representative for decentralised cooperation with countries from the Mediterranean Basin and international relation |
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| jeudi, 09 février 2012 |
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Address by Mr. Jacques Rocca Serra |
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Address by Mr. Jacques Rocca Serra, Deputy Mayor of Marseille, representative for decentralised cooperation with countries from the Mediterranean Basin and international relations, at the official inauguration of the City of Marseille’s International Council on December 2, 2002.
Mayor,
Minister,
Secretary of state,
Regional prefect,
Ambassadors,
Consuls,
Elected representatives,
Presidents,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would first of all like to thank the Mayor of Marseille,
Jean-Claude Gaudin, for having agreed to create this International Council, and above all, having adopted, since he was elected, such a dynamic policy for international relations.
Indeed, for a few years now, our city has been rolling out an extremely effective policy in this respect:
- by reintegrating itself at the highest level into all international networks,
- by organising major international events,
- by hosting prestigious organisations such as the Mediterranean Institute, the World Water Institute and, tomorrow, the World Bank.
- our city has increased the number of trips to and agreements for decentralised cooperation with cities from the Mediterranean Basin, and looking beyond that, with cities such as Shanghai or Montevideo.
- it is also in the process of signing new twinning agreements with Marrakech and Tunis.
-lastly, it is welcoming an increasing number of major foreign delegations.
This expansion represents just reward for the efforts made over the last few years by Marseille to build its position as a crossroads for ideas and exchanges.
Furthermore, all the players from our city, whether they are economic, social, academic or cultural, are also involved in the field of international relations.
“There is no major metropolis without an image, without a strong identity”.
For the image and development of our city, international relations represent an “exceptional asset”.
A number of other key factors, such as the boom in tourism, the arrival of major international businesses, notably in the field of telecommunications, the arrival of the TGV high-speed train, the renovation of the port and the success of the free trade zone, have all strengthened the role of Marseille as a “Balancing Metropolis” at the heart of relations between “Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, the Far East and Latin America”.
In this respect, the presence in Marseille of 65 consular representations highlights the strategic importance of our city.
This policy must now be consolidated, scaled up and based on a preferential partnership between the town council and all the players, which, through their activities, are participating in the development and international expansion of our city around the world.
This requires greater coherency, stronger coordination and the definition of a more thought-out, more built strategy.
All of these elements led us to set up the City of Marseille’s International Council, whose first objective is:
1) To propose a strategy for the development of international relations and to strengthen the image of our city.
- the Mediterranean Basin is still our preferred field of action,
- do we need to select geographical targets such as Milan, to try and create a new Milan-Lyon-Marseille axis?
- instead, should we select theme-based targets such as new technologies or the French-speaking world?
- do we need to consolidate our ties with Shanghai or Montevideo, or do we need to create others, notably with Québec, with which we have relatively few exchanges, and which does not have a consular office in Marseille?
It is to answer all these questions, make these choices, determine these targets, that we need the know-how of academics, the experience of the economic world, and the sensitivity of the intellectual and social world.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest thanks to all the members of this council for having agreed to take part in our review processes.
2) The second objective is to promote the integration of the international dimension in all the main agglomeration projects, and to make concrete progress on Marseille’s international projects.
Euro-Mediterranean, Minister, which you will visit in a few moments and which our first deputy,Renaud Muselier, has been looking after with such enthusiasm, is one of them.
The same is true for the improvement of means of communication and transport, which are the “Primum Movens” of the economy.
On this subject, we regret that the previous government cancelled attempts to complete the “Rhone-Rhine link”, which would have facilitated, via Marseille, access to the heart of Europe, avoiding the detour via Rotterdam.
Another example concerns the setting up of European or national structures in Marseille, such as the Maritime Safety Agency or the French Centre for Foreign Trade.
3) Lastly, our third objective is to synergise all of the strengths of the Metropolitan Marseille Area.
This International Council can be defined as a tool for identifying, evaluating and assessing all the elements for its international presence, and ensuring the coherency of actions carried out by all the players involved in the development of the city.
Over the next few months, we are going to launch a joint effort to take stock of the actual international situation, assess our strengths and weaknesses and evaluate the opportunities that may open up for us with the globalisation of exchanges at economic, scientific, technical or cultural levels.
Minister, in this key region of Southern Europe, we are at the heart of three major phenomena that are likely to lead to significant imbalances:
- the opening up of the European Union to countries from the East,
- the future development of the south shore of the Mediterranean Basin,
- globalisation.
Concerned about their future, the cities of Barcelona, Gênes, Lyon and Marseille joined forces with the “Alliance Charter” to strengthen actions for the Barcelona Process, which must imperatively be ramped up in light of what is at stake with the Mediterranean for Europe.
The opening up of the European Union to countries from the East must be accompanied by vital efforts to strike a new balance between the two shores of the Mediterranean.
Furthermore, we believe that, after the European Union has been opened up to countries from the East, Brussels will not be able to concentrate all the power. It will probably be necessary to decentralise them in a city in the East and a city in the South in order to ensure that Europe is closer to its citizens. This really needs to be done!
In the South, Marseille, which is gearing up to become “an institutional European capital”, may impose itself in light of its geo-strategic position, its history, the melting pot of its population and its proven political commitment. These assets make our city a pivotal partner, a link, whose interest is shared with the countries from the South.
We would like the European Union to provide us with its backing, in addition to, quite naturally, the support of the French government.
Minister, we would like to offer our sincerest thanks to you for having agreed to set up this International Council for the City of Marseille.
Your presence gives it a specific dimension and shows that you will strive to support the international strategy of France's second-biggest city in its Mediterranean ambitions.
Thank you.
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