SPAIN 13 Jul 2009 Union of the Mediterranean is one year old
The controversial Union of the Mediterranean, initiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is one year old on 13 Jul. It unites all European Union members with several non-EU countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. The new body almost died shortly afterwards. The French president relaunched the partnership on 25 Jun, hoping it will provide new impetus to regional cooperation by agreeing a set of priority development projects "that create de facto solidarity" between participating nations.
If the new union can budge the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate, opponents could be persuaded about its value.
EurActiv, which reported the re-launch, said expectations are also high that the structure, which is based on a shared presidency between north and south, will "increase co-ownership" of the process and give it more political authority via regular summits. They would be held every two years.
The Union's members include all 27 EU nations, the 12 Mediterranean countries that are members of the EU's Barcelona Process and the four Balkan countries bordering the Mediterranean.
The French foreign ministry hailed the first summit as a great success and notes that it was the first time Israel was present at such a level in an international institution alongside the Palestinian Authority. Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be represented at the deputy secretary level. Under a deal with the Arab bloc, the Arab League will be able to attend all meetings but will not have voting rights because of objections by Israel, according to The Associated Press.
The EU's relations with its Mediterranean neighbours have thus far been dealt with under the umbrella of the Barcelona Process, which includes Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authorities, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. Libya has observer status.
Initially, several EU members, including Germany, opposed the union. The opponents saw it as a body that would undermine existing EU initiatives, such as the 1995 Barcelona Process, which has failed to achieve significant results. They also saw it as furthering Sarkozy's agenda, described by the German Council of Foreign Relations in 2007 as loaded with concerns about immigration, energy security and terrorism. The council also noted that the institution provides Sarkozy with a framework to head-off Turkey’s EU membership by offering Ankara the alternative of playing a leading role in the new body.
After compromises were made, the European Union finally backed it. One compromise was including the European Union as a whole, rather than only those EU countries with Mediterranean borders.
The headquarters will be in Barcelona, Spain, in the 19th-century Palace of Pedralbes. The Barcelona Process was named after the city.
The secretariat will be presided over by a single secretary general – yet to be appointed – and five deputy secretaries from Greece, Italy, Malta, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, according to French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner. The union will have a rotating presidency, with France and Egypt co-chairing it for its first two years. UPDATED Jun/09
RELATED READING:
France attempts to revitalize the Union of the Mediterranean (EurActiv 26 Jun 2009)
http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/france-attempts-revitalise-union-mediterranean/article-183525
Mediterranean Union is launched (BBC 13 Jul 2008)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7504214.stm
Barcelona chosen as headquarters of new Mediterranean Union (IHT 4 Nov 2008)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/04/europe/med.php
Trouble in the Neighborhood (International Politik Vol 8 2007)
http://www.ip-global.org/archiv/2007/winter2007/trouble-in-the-neighborhood.html
Same old story (Al-Ahram 29 May 2008)
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/899/eg2.htm |
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