2.Geopolitical scenario

Geopolitical scenario

1995 The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (or Barcelona Process) started with the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Conference (Barcelona 1995). It was organized by the European Union to strengthen its relations with the countries in the Mashriq and Maghreb regions. The partnership laid the foundations for what came to be the Union for the Mediterranean, an institution building on, but not replacing, the EuroMed Partnership. Javier Solana opened the conference saying that they were brought together to straighten out the “clash of civilizations” and misunderstandings that there had been between them, and that it “was auspicious” that they had convened on the 900th anniversary of the First Crusade. He described the conference as a process to foster cultural and economic unity in the Mediterranean region. The Barcelona Treaty was drawn up by the 27 countries in attendance, and Javier Solana, who represented Spain as their foreign minister during their turn at the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, was credited with the diplomatic accomplishment.

2004 The European Union enlargement brought two more Mediterranean countries (Cyprus and Malta) into the Union, while adding a total of 10 to the number of Member States. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership today comprises 43 members: 27 European Union member states, and 16 partner countries (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia, as well as the Palestinian Territories). Since 2004 a regional dialogue has been established. Regional dialogue represents one of the most innovative aspects of the Partnership, covering at the same time the political, economic and cultural fields (regional co-operation). Regional co-operation has a considerable strategic impact as it deals with problems that are common to many Mediterranean Partners while it emphasises the national complementarities. The multilateral dimension supports and complements the bilateral actions and dialogue taking place under the Association Agreements. Since 2004 the Mediterranean Partners are also included in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and since 2007 are funded via the ENPI.

2005 The 10th anniversary Euromediterranean summit was held in Barcelona on 27 November-28 2005. Full members of the Barcelona Process are: 27 Member States of the European Union. 10 countries from the southern Mediterranean shore: Algeria, Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey (already part of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the latter began EU accession talks on 3 October). Croatia, a candidate to join the EU, which began accession talks on 3 October. The European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Secretary General of the Council of the EU Moreover, the Barcelona Process includes 6 countries and institutions participating as permanent observers (Libya, Mauritania, the Secretary-General of the Arab League) and invited observers, such as the European Investment Bank, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, the Economical and Social Committee or the Euromed Economical and Social Councils. According to the ISN, “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were the only leaders from the Mediterranean countries to attend, while those of Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt were not present.” From the official web site, “The new realities and challenges of the 21st century make it necessary to update the Barcelona Declaration and create a new Action Plan (based on the good results of the Valencia Action Plan), encompassing four fundamental areas”

• Peace, Security, Stability, Good Government, and Democracy.

• Sustainable Economic Development and Reform.

• Education and Cultural Exchange

• Justice, Security, Migration, and Social Integration.

2007 In 2007 French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed the formation of a Union for the Mediterranean which would consist principally of Mediterranean states and presumably operate outside of the auspices of the European Union.

2008 The Union for the Mediterranean (Union pour la Méditerranée), officially known by the full name of Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean and previously known as the “Mediterranean Union” (Union méditerranéenne), is a community initiated on 13 July 2008 by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as a development of the Euromediterranean Partnership, also known as the Barcelona Process. The proposal was originally made as part of Sarkozy’s election campaign. The act unites all EU members with several non-EU countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona, Spain.

The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership was thus re-launched in 2008 as the Union for the Mediterranean at the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean in July, with the new network of relations endorsed at the Marseille Meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Foreign Affairs in November. The Partnership now includes all 27 member states of the European Union, along with 16 partners across the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East. This re-launching aimed to infuse a new vitality into the Partnership and to raise the political level of the strategic relationship between the EU and its southern neighbours. While maintaining the acquis of its predecessor, the Barcelona Process, the Union for the Mediterranean offers more balanced governance, increased visibility to its citizens and a commitment to tangible, regional and trans-national projects. Some of the most important innovations of the Union for the Mediterranean include the a rotating co-presidency with one EU president and one president representing the Mediterranean partners, and a Secretariat based in Barcelona that is responsible for identifying and promoting projects of regional, sub-regional and transnational value across different sectors. The Union for the Mediterranean has also identified six priority projects which are at the heart of the of Partnership’s efforts, including projects for:

• the de-pollution of the Mediterranean Sea;

• the establishment of maritime and land highways;

• civil protection initiatives to combat natural and man-made disasters;

• a Mediterranean solar energy plan;

• the inauguration of the Euro-Mediterranean University in Slovenia;

• and the Mediterranean Business Development Initiative focusing on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

2009 May 19th 2009 the first ENPI call for proposals has been launched. The multilateral cross-border cooperation “Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme” is part of the new European Neighbourhood Policy and of its financing instrument (ENPI) for the 2007-2013 period: it includes the European Union and partner countries regions placed along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

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