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.

EU neighbourhood policy divisions

Ministers from within the EU and from its neighbouring countries gathered for the first time on Monday (3 September) to discuss the bloc's neighbourhood policy, but the meeting highlighted the strong divisions about what such a policy should mean. Ukraine, which has made no secret of its EU membership ambitions, refused to see the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) as the sole means of bilateral relations with Brussels.

"The ENP cannot be accepted as an adequate basis for EU-Ukrainian relations", Ukraine ambassador Roman Shpek said at the conference.

Designed with the objective of offering EU neighbours closer – or privileged – cooperation with the bloc, the ENP does not offer EU membership – something clearly underlined by Germany."The ENP is a separate issue from EU membership. It doesn't open any doors", German state minister Gunter Gloser stated.

Newer member states took up Ukraine's side, however. Poland - one of Kiev's most loyal allies within the EU, underlined both Ukraine and Moldova's "European identity" and the fact that the ENP should not stop European countries from "pursuing [their] EU ambition"."Countries like Ukraine and Moldova have this vocation", Polish foreign minister Anna Fotyga said. "We have to keep the door open, even if it's on the long term", Hungarian foreign minister Kinga Goncz added.

Criticism from within

Some of the strongest criticisms of the policy from within the EU came from Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. "We need to get beyond the rather limited framework in which we operate with our neighbours. I think the ENP needs to have a genuine political dimension. It cannot be limited to a mix of different instruments", he said.

As with France, which recently proposed a Mediterranean Union, Spain's focus is much more on the states neighbouring Europe's southern borders. But beyond their differences in priorities and views, most participants seemed to agree that cooperation between the EU and its neighbours should be increased in energy security and that more should be done on trade liberalisation.

In addition, many neighbouring countries said they wanted more progress on visa facilitation making it possible for certain categories of people – businessmen and students for instance – to enter the EU more easily.

For its part, the European Commission proposed a new system of so-called Mobility Partnerships, making it easier for non-EU nationals to legally work in the EU. Countries such as Algeria and Morocco stressed the positive aspects of migration, saying it should not be seen exclusively as a threat.

EU should be a player, not simply a payer

Representatives of the civil society, academics and the media from the neighbouring countries were also present at the conference and gave their opinions and ideas during workshops in the afternoon.

Professor Lena Kolarska-Bobinska, director of the Warsaw-based Institute of Public Affairs, said she often heard that "the EU is a payer, not a player" during her stay in the Middle East. She said the EU could change this by introducing certain conditions - such as reforms of the judiciary system - in exchange for aid. "In many places expectations are high about a more important role of the EU", she said. "The EU has the instruments, but it has to have courage and not to be ashamed to be an actor".

The European Neighbourhood Policy covers 16 countries – Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine.