EU leaders agree to weakened Mediterranean Union plan

EU leaders approved a watered-down version of a plan put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a grand Mediterranean Union stretching from Morocco to Turkey and aiming to foster cooperation with the EU's southern neighbours.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa called the proposal an "upgrade of the Barcelona process" – the mechanism currently regulating the relations between the EU and the Mediterranean countries – and said it had received support during the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels.

An agreement was reached to launch the project as soon as possible, "with the principle that all member states will participate," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also said.

Mr Sarkozy also rejected claims that his initial proposal had been considerably weakened, saying that it was not very different from what was eventually agreed upon. There is still one secretariat, a joint north-south presidency, and periodical summit meetings foreseen, so "I do not think I have renounced anything," he said, adding that he was happy the principle of a closer partnership with the Mediterranean countries "was taken up with great enthusiasm" by the other member states, as the "Barcelona [process] simply did not work".

The proposal sparked ideas for other EU states as well, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying that the EU should now commit more to eastern states, particularly Ukraine, which should be given a clear European perspective."We accept this agreement in general, but we also have our own proposal about Ukraine," he said.

Meanwhile, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said that key points, such as what exactly the role of the new Mediterranean set up would be, remained unanswered and suggested the French president was working to reach national goals above all. "It is obvious that Sarkozy wants to make a name for himself during the French presidency and is focusing on a subject in which he has an economic interest," Mr Topolanek was quoted as saying by CNN.

New EU chair slams French plan for Med Union

New European Union presidency holder Slovenia criticised on Wednesday a plan by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to create a Mediterranean Union linking states from both sides of the sea.

Outlining to the European Parliament Slovenia's priorities for its six-month term in the EU chair, the first by a former communist new member state, Prime Minister Janez Jansa said he wanted to promote existing ties with Mediterranean countries. "We do not however need a duplication of institutions, or institutions that would compete with the EU, institutions that would cover part of the EU and part of the neighbourhood," he said in a direct reference to the French plan.

France, which succeeds Slovenia in the presidency, has said it plans to stage a summit in July to launch a Mediterranean Union, which critics initially saw as an attempt to create an alternative to Turkey's bid for full membership of the EU. Details of the French plan are sketchy but officials have said it would include the EU member states on the northern shore of the Mediterranean and non-EU countries on the eastern and southern shores. But Jansa said: "The EU is a whole, a single entity, and only as such can it be a help in establishing peace, stability and progress in our neighbourhood and in the broader context. Hopefully our friends in Paris will not hold this against us, but we also want to lead Europe with a vision," he added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also expressed strong misgivings about Sarkozy's proposal, saying it had the potential to divide the EU.

Diplomats said it was hard to imagine that the proposed union could have access to substantial EU funds for Mediterranean economic, social, security and cultural programmes if all EU member states were not members of the organisation.

Reuters