BRUSSELS: This is a time of historic importance for Europe and the future of the whole world order.

The process of European unification now under way offers us what might be a unique opportunity to rethink our relationship with our neighbours, from Russia to the Mediterranean, and our policies towards them.

The influx of migrants is also forcing us to find new balances and new ways of organizing our societies.

Globalization is both a great opportunity for development and a daunting challenge, especially for the more vulnerable.

Political and economic dialogue therefore needs to be underpinned by a cultural dialogue, which could become a powerful instrument for shaping the course of events.

After Sept 11 many voices were raised in favour of greater dialogue between cultures and societies. But its importance was recognized by the EU, especially the Commission, long before Sept 11.

But now the need for action has become urgent.

Dialogue is not something that takes place elsewhere, beyond our borders; it has to start here, in Europe itself, in our inner cities, which are all too often the seedbeds of intolerance and prejudice.

We must rediscover our common cultural heritage and exploit it to our mutual advantage, thereby developing mutual respect and understanding. We must do this because there is an ever clearer risk of an ideological and cultural split, not only between Europe and the Arab and Muslim world but actually within European and Arab and Muslim societies.

This is why our objective is to develop a special relationship between Europe and the Mediterranean in the context of our policy towards neighbouring countries, using all the instruments available to strengthen our Mediterranean partnership.

The European Commission is instigating — in and outside the EU and especially the Mediterranean — a range of initiatives and programmes to promote reciprocal awareness.

Recently, for instance, we decided to extend the Tempus programme of university exchanges to our Mediterranean partners and we are looking into the possibility of doing the same with the vocational and adult training programmes.

But our commitment extends beyond the cultural sector. The Barcelona European Council approved the setting up of a fund so that Europe could play a more active role in both private and public investment in the southern Mediterranean. The Commission and the Spanish Presidency had a more ambitious project in mind. It has not been possible to carry it out fully this time but it is still on the agenda.

Other projects are on the drawing board, such as the Euro- Mediterranean Foundation for dialogue between cultures, which would work with like-minded public and private institutions to impart consistency and continuity to initiatives such as the conference on the dialogue between cultures that we have organized in Brussels, or the plan to institute a type of Fullbright programme of study grants.

So we are not talking about organization of just another long series of conferences and seminars. We want to open a new chapter in Mediterranean cooperation that will draw inspiration from these opportunities to meet, take stock and look to the future.

If we are to do this, we must also try to shed light on what lies at the foundations of our own cultures, above all the three great religions that originated in the Mediterranean area.

While it cannot be denied that these religions have given rise to bloody wars in the past, they have also been — and still are — fonts of hope, creativity and wisdom. They can and must provide an essential input into our joint efforts to bring together all the peoples on the shores of the Mediterranean.

But civilizations and relations between cultures cannot be explained in exclusively religious terms.

The fault lines are also produced by injustice, economic divisions and poverty. And these problems can and must be tackled as well.

A dialogue between cultures is not, nor should it be, an instrument of political dialogue or a substitute for one. That would be counter-productive for both dialogues. But it is true that if an intercultural dialogue takes root in civil society, it could bear fruit in the form of amicable and fruitful political dialogue.

When faced with situations like the Middle East, Europe should throw all its political, economic and imaginative force into creating opportunity for dialogue. This means much more than brokering a ceasefire or delivering humanitarian aid.

The real objective is to offer ourselves as an proactive mediator who — acting in scrupulous observance to all the UN resolutions — can make the opposing parties look at the issues that divide them in a new light.

A lasting solution to the conflict can be achieved only through a common commitment by the European Union, Russia, the United States, the Arab world and Israel, this is clear, it cannot be achieved unilaterally.

Dialogue between cultures does not mean a cultural levelling- out in favour of Western values and trade interests. Nor does it mean becoming a passive victim of events and accepting a homogenized culture where only the values and will of the strongest prevail.

The EU, a unique example of a happy union between democracy and cultural integration, is proof that there is an alternative to uniformity and cultural supremacy.

The dialogue that we want is a dialogue that respects different cultures and the people who embody them, as long as these cultures uphold fundamental human rights.

The time is ripe to shoulder new responsibilities and to show that globalization is not necessarily antithetical to cultural diversity, solidarity and shared values. They can and must co- exist.

Dialogue between cultures is an essential instrument for promoting harmonious relations between neighbours based on tolerance, mutual respect and fairness. It will also help us to establish the shared values and common humanity with which to organize the co-existence of different groups within European societies.—The writer is President of the European Commission