For a solid union

Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, is a tireless protagonist of his own success in the international scenario. In order to endorse the paternity of all progress achieved, for himself or for France as a whole, which in the end is the same, he constantly produces new ideas, which have occasionally created problems to his partners. In fact, these ideas are not always the result of profound reflection, failing to envisage effects and consequences. This has also been the case of his initiative aimed at the establishment of a “Union for the Mediterranean” which Sarkozy chaired with verve during the first months of his presidency. It should be a Union encompassing all Mediterranean States, whose objective is the implementation of common policies for the resolution of collective problems. Sarkozy introduced the issue both to Rome’s and Madrid’s governments and to those of North-African Countries. The reaction of his interlocutors was marked by a cordial and vague response. Enthusiasm was not detected neither in the north nor in the south of the Mare Nostrum. The Turks interpreted the initiative as a maneuver to keep them distant from the European Union. While in the Maghreb it was viewed as an attempt to revive French supremacy. In Italy and Spain the reaction was: let’s wait and see how far he intends to go.North European EU Member States who have not even been consulted, have taken a distance. German Chancellor Angela Merkel acted as spokesperson of the opposition to the project which in the past had been conceived in the EU, and which excluded all Member States which didn’t border on the Mediterranean, thus exposed to the risk of a friction. The President of the French Republic had wished to ignore or neglect two aspects: firstly, all Member States of the EU, from a political viewpoint, are Mediterranean Countries, since the EU Mediterranean borders extend for thousands of kilometers, and secondly, the Mediterranean policy of the EU certainly wouldn’t benefit from the implementation of a parallel Mediterranean policy on the part of a limited number of Member States. Opposition to Nicolas Sarkozy’s project was expressed by Angela Merkel in every possible occasion including the congress of Ump, the French president’s party, where Chancellor Merkel had been invited in her capacities as President of the German twin brother party, CDU. The German Chancellor expressed her criticism also on the occasion of periodical meeting of heads of party and state of the European Popular Party, accepting ensuing discontent between Paris and Bonn. Lastly, Ms. Merkel, sure to act on behalf of the majority of her colleagues and heads of government, managed to have a series of private meetings with her French counterpart on the latter’s EU policies integration initiative. On the basis of this agreement, on March 13 the European Council decided to step up the Barcelona Process in force since 1996. This Process addresses the European Union as encompassing all its Countries bordering on the Mediterranean through a series of common initiatives in the field of politics and security, economics and also in realm of development and also in the realm of culture (including interreligious dialogue) . In the future, The Barcelona Process will need to display a more accurate profile with the subtitle “Union for the Mediterranean”, along with a secretariat and a presidency charged with supervising enforcement. Next July, when EU French presidency will take office, this will be implemented and firmed up.