CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak attended on Monday the Union for the Mediterranean s second annual meeting in Milan. He addressed those gathered for the event, speaking to the need for greater cooperation among Mediterranean nations in the realms of the Middle East peace process, the environment and technology. Following the meeting in Milan, Mubarak traveled to Paris to continue discussions for the Union and boost bilateral relations between the two countries, where he met Prime Minister Francois Fillon in advance of meetings with French President Nicholas Sarkozy yesterday. The brain-child of President Sarkozy, the Union for the Mediterranean was launched in July 2008 drawing on the Barcelona Process and related EU-supported initiatives for cross-Mediterranean cooperation. Member nations include all countries represented in the European Union as well as 16 countries from the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Now one-year old, the Union is currently co-chaired by Mubarak and Sarkozy. The Union was formed with the lofty aims of learning how to love each other in the Mediterranean, instead of continuing to hate and wage war, Sarkozy was quoted as saying in the Union s opening summit in 2008. As the Union is in its formative period, discussion between Mubarak and Sarkozy is speculated to address the future framework of the new organization. Currently, the organization s goals are varied and unclear. Though Sarkozy s original plan for the Mediterranean Union addressed the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Union s six priority goals are primarily related to economic and technology related projects, as well as the inauguration of the Euro-Mediterranean University in Slovenia. In early July finance ministers in the Union convened in Brussels and many of the non-EU members were granted loans from the EU. Mubarak and Sarkozy have developed close diplomatic and economic working relations in recent times, establishing the Franco-Egyptian ceasefire plan which called for an end to violence in Gaza and also discussing the possibility of developing a nuclear energy program for Egypt. France is among the top five foreign investors in Egypt. European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso expressed hope that the summit would soon become a significant annual event. However, many have criticized the role of the Union, citing its lack of substance and heavy European Union influence. Libyan president Muammar Qaddafi boycotted the Union s inaugural summit last year, describing the partnership as a new form of colonialism. With the organization s identity and objectives in flux, it is unclear whether its aspirations will be realized. At this time, it seems member states, including Egypt, are putting their weight behind the economic partnerships derived from the group. The Barcelona Process has been revived and given a wholly new dynamic, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted as saying on July 14. I believe that all of Europe, with all its states, working with those Mediterranean countries which are not a part of the EU, sends an important signal.
