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Thursday, 28 June 2007
What is the idea of ‘Union of the Mediterranean’?
President Sarkhozy’s proposal for a Union of the Mediterranean has attracted some interest, but as independent observers, CEPS researcher Michael Emerson and Nathalie Tocci are somewhat puzzled as to what he has in mind. A basic question they raise in this CEPS Commentary is how this Union would relate to the EU’s present policies in the region, which is based on the 12-year old Barcelona process, onto which has been rather clumsily grafted the Southern branch of the two-year old European Neighbourhood Policy. Here is a quote :
"Two other interpretations have been offered in the press. One is that Sarkhozy’s proposal is just a Turkey gambit. “Dear Turkey, I do not want you in the European Union, but why not instead join us as a major player in the Mediterranean Union?” Another is that the proposal was just an intuitive remark about wanting to do something ‘better than Barcelona’ in the Mediterranean. While the second motive could lead to the prospect of a constructive development of the idea, the first would most likely lead to a vanishing of the grand idea of the Union of the Mediterranean as quickly as it was born, given Turkey’s resounding ‘no’ to the new role it would be offered."
Labels: eu
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