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77-828: It was set up in 2005 by the governments of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed), a political agreement made in 1995 between the European Union and Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Syria and Turkey. It is named in honour of Anna Lindh , the Swedish Foreign Minister who was murdered in 2003. The name was put forward by Egypt at a meeting 25 September 2003. The Foundation's headquarters are in Alexandria in Egypt. In 2008, André Azoulay

154-627: A consensual decision among the 42 countries. These projects and initiatives focus on 6 sectors of activity, as mandated by the UfM Member States: The members of the Union of the Mediterranean are the following: Additionally, Libya is an observer state. The UfM has expressed a desire to grant Libya full membership, and Mohamed Abdelaziz , Libya's Foreign Minister from January 2013 to August 2014, once stated that his country

231-480: A duplication of institutions, or institutions that would compete with EU, institutions that would cover part of the EU and part of the neighbourhood." Other criticisms of the proposal included concern about the relationship between the proposed UfM and the existing Euromediterranean Partnership (Barcelona Process), which might reduce the effectiveness of EU policies in the region and allow the southern countries to play on

308-549: A final judgment can be made. Bishara Khader argues that this ambitious European project towards its Mediterranean neighbours has to be understood in a context of optimism. On the one hand, the European Community was undergoing important changes due to the reunification of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the beginning of the adhesion negotiations of Eastern and Central European countries. On

385-522: A grouping scheme that brings together most of the Arab League and variously includes their neighbors, like Iran , Turkey, Israel , the Caucasian countries , Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a few others. The Middle East and North Africa has no standardized definition; different organizations define the region as consisting of different territories, or do not define it as a region at all. There

462-514: A new phase Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with new members and an improved institutional architecture which aimed to "enhance multilateral relations, increase co-ownership of the process, set governance on the basis of equal footing and translate it into concrete projects, more visible to citizens. Now is the time to inject a new and continuing momentum into the Barcelona Process. More engagement and new catalysts are now needed to translate

539-790: A preparatory working paper for the June 2004 G8 Summit, the U.S. government (at the end of the George W. Bush administration 's first term) defined the Greater Middle East as including the Arab states, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. From April 2013, the International Monetary Fund started using a new analytical region called MENAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), which adds Afghanistan and Pakistan to MENA countries. Now MENAP

616-644: A round negotiations to revive the process. A proposal to establish a "Mediterranean Union", which would consist principally of Mediterranean states, was part of the election campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy during the French presidential election campaign in 2007. During the campaign, Sarkozy said that the Mediterranean Union would be modelled on the European Union with a shared judicial area and common institutions. Sarkozy saw Turkish membership of

693-499: A wider definition than MENA, such as MENASA ( lit.   ' Middle East and North Africa and South Asia ' ) or MENAP ( lit.   ' Middle East and North Africa and Afghanistan and Pakistan ' ). The term MENAT explicitly includes Turkey , which is usually excluded from some MENA definitions, even though Turkey is almost always considered part of the Middle East proper. Ultimately, MENA can be considered as

770-682: Is "open" to joining. The Arab League also participates in UfM meetings. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, also known as the Barcelona Process, was created in 1995 as a result of the Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Barcelona on 27 and 28 November under the Spanish presidency of the EU. The founding act of the Partnership in 1995 and Final Declaration of

847-641: Is a prominent economic grouping in IMF reports. MENASA refers to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region. Its usage consists of the region of MENA together with South Asia, with Dubai chosen by the United Nations as the data hub for the region. In some contexts, specifically the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, the region is abbreviated as SAMENA instead of

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924-482: Is a set of goals designed to lead to a free trade area in the Mediterranean Basin by 2010. The agenda of the Barcelona Process is: The Barcelona Process comprises three "baskets", in EU jargon, or strands: The Euro-Mediterranean free trade area (EU-MEFTA) is based on the Barcelona Process and European Neighbourhood Policy . The Agadir Agreement of 2004 is seen as its first building block. At

1001-630: Is an intergovernmental organization of 43 member states from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin : the 27 EU member states (including those not on the Mediterranean) and 16 Mediterranean partner countries from North Africa , Western Asia and Southern Europe . It was founded on 13 July 2008 at the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean, with an aim of reinforcing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed) that

1078-727: Is no MENA region amongst the United Nations Regional Groups , nor in the United Nations geoscheme used by the UNSD (though the latter does feature two subregions called 'Western Asia' and 'Northern Africa', see WANA ). Some agencies and programmes of the United Nations do define the MENA region, but their definitions may contradict each other, and sometimes only apply to specific studies or reports. Historians Michael Dumper and Bruce Stanley stated in 2007: 'For

1155-576: Is no consensus on its geographical application. EMME refers to a grouping of 18 nations situated in and around the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The 18 nations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East are: Bahrain , Cyprus , Egypt , Greece , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Oman , Palestine , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Syria , Turkey , UAE , and Yemen . Climate change in

1232-462: Is to increase both north–south and South-South integration in the Mediterranean region, in order to support the countries' socioeconomic development and ensure stability in the region. The institution, through its course of actions, focuses on two main pillars: fostering human development and promoting sustainable development. To this end, it identifies and supports regional projects and initiatives of different sizes, to which it gives its label, following

1309-462: Is widely considered to be a more defined and apolitical alternative to the concept of the Greater Middle East , which comprises the bulk of the Muslim world . The region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary, but the term typically includes countries like Algeria , Bahrain , Egypt , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Morocco , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Syria , Tunisia ,

1386-690: The Association Agreements , the Code of Conduct on Countering Terrorism and the establishment of the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures . In 2006 the first proposals for improving the Partnership's efficiency, visibility and co-ownership arouse, such as establishing a co-presidency system and a permanent secretariat or nominating a "Mr./Ms. Med." As of 2007 , on the initiative of France, States embark on

1463-484: The Barcelona process . German chancellor Angela Merkel said the UfM risked splitting and threatening the core of the EU. In particular she objected to the potential use of EU funds to fund a project which was only to include a small number of EU member states. When Slovenia took the EU presidency at the beginning of 2008, the then Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša added to the criticism by saying: "We do not need

1540-660: The Pew Research Center grouped 20 countries and territories as 'the Middle East and North Africa', namely: 'Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara and Yemen.' For the Global Peace Index 2020, the Institute for Economics & Peace defined

1617-859: The Secretary-General of the Arab League ) and invited observers, such as the European Investment Bank , the Arab Maghreb Union , the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, the Economical and Social Committee or the Euromed Economical and Social Councils. According to the ISN , "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were

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1694-917: The Tunisian Revolution , the Egyptian revolution of 2011 and Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014) , while also sparking war throughout the region such as the Syrian Civil War , the Libyan Civil War , the Yemeni Civil War and the Iraqi war against ISIS ( Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ). During the Sudanese Revolution , months of protests and a military coup led to the fall of Omar al-Bashir 's regime and

1771-477: The UAE , and Yemen . As a regional identifier, the term "MENA" is often used in academia , military planning, disaster relief, media planning (as a broadcast region), and business writing. Moreover, it shares a number of cultural, economic, and environmental similarities across the countries that it spans; for example, some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA . Some related terms have

1848-1171: The Western Sahara conflict ; the Lebanese Civil War ; the Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present) ; the Iranian Revolution ; the Iran–Iraq War ; Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict ; the Berber Spring ; the Toyota War ; the Invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War ; the Algerian Civil War ; the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War ; the rise of terrorism and anti-terrorist actions ; the U.S.-led intervention of Iraq in 2003 and subsequent Iraq War . The Arab Spring (2010–2011) led to

1925-488: The acquis of Barcelona, the purpose of which is to promote "peace, stability and prosperity" throughout the region (Barcelona, 2). Therefore, the four chapters of cooperation developed in the framework of the Barcelona Process during thirteen years remain valid: The objective to establish a Free Trade Area in the Euro-Mediterranean region by 2010 (and beyond), first proposed at the 1995 Barcelona Conference,

2002-508: The energy sector , an integral component of many Middle Eastern and North African economies due to the extensive oil and natural gas reserves that are found within the region. The region of Middle East is one of the most vulnerable to climate change . The impacts include increase in drought conditions, aridity, heatwaves and sea level rise . Sharp global temperature and sea level changes, shifting precipitation patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events are some of

2079-503: The 13 OPEC nations are within the MENA region. According to Pew Research Center 's 2016 "Religion and Education Around the World" study, 40% of the adult population in MENA had completed less than a year of primary school. The fraction was higher for women, of whom half had been to school for less than a year. In its Global Peace Index 2020, the Institute for Economics & Peace stated that 'the Middle East and North Africa remains

2156-417: The 21st century. If greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly reduced, part of the MENA region risks becoming uninhabitable before the year 2100. Islam is by far the dominant religion in nearly all of the MENA territories; 91.2% of the population is Muslim . The Middle East–North Africa region comprises 20 countries and territories with an estimated Muslim population of 315 million or about 23% of

2233-588: The 27 countries in attendance, and Solana, who represented Spain as its foreign minister during the country's turn at the Presidency of the Council of the European Union , was credited with the diplomatic accomplishment. According to the 1995 Barcelona Declaration, the aim of the initiative was summed up as: "turning the Mediterranean basin into an area of dialogue, exchange and cooperation guaranteeing peace, stability and prosperity". The Declaration established

2310-648: The ALF aims to contribute to the development of an Intercultural Strategy for the Euro-Mediterranean Region, providing recommendations to decision-makers and institutions and advocating for shared values. This article about an international organization is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Euro-Mediterranean Partnership The Union for the Mediterranean ( UfM ; French : Union pour la Méditerranée , Arabic : الاتحاد من أجل المتوسط Al-Ittiḥād min ajl al-Mutawasseṭ )

2387-617: The Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) is to bring people together from across the Mediterranean to improve mutual respect between cultures and to support civil society working for a common future of the Region. Since its launch in 2005, the ALF has launched and supported action across fields impacting on mutual perceptions among people of different cultures and beliefs, as well as developing a region-wide Network of over 3000 civil society organisations. Through its action and reflection,

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2464-793: The Association Agreements. Since 2004 the Mediterranean Partners are also included in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and since 2007 are funded via the ENPI . As a result of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Euromed Heritage program was formed. This program has been active since 1998, and has been involved in programs to identify the cultural heritages of Mediterranean states, promote their preservation, and educate

2541-671: The Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference is called the Barcelona Declaration, which is often used to refer to the Process itself. The Partnership culminated in a series of attempts by European countries to articulate their relations with their North African and Middle Eastern neighbours: the global Mediterranean policy (1972–1992) and the renovated Mediterranean policy (1992–1995). Javier Solana opened

2618-575: The Barcelona Process escalated after the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Summit in Barcelona in 2005. First, the absence of Heads of State and Government from the Southern Mediterranean countries (with the exception of the Palestinian and Turkish ones) heavily contrasted with the attendance of the 27 European Union's Heads of State and Government. Second, the lack of consensus to define

2695-403: The Barcelona Process since its very beginnings, like the Spanish politician Josep Borrell , expressed their disappointment about the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and its incapacity to deliver results. Critiques from Southern Mediterranean countries blamed the Partnership's failure on Europe's lack of interest towards the Mediterranean in favour of its Eastern neighbourhood; whereas experts from

2772-563: The European Union. The EU enlargement changed the configuration of the Barcelona Process from "15+12" to "27+10". Albania and Mauritania joined the Barcelona Process in 2007, raising the number of participants to 39. The 10th anniversary Euromediterranean summit was held in Barcelona on 27–28 November 2005. Full members of the Barcelona Process were: Moreover, the Barcelona Process included 6 countries and institutions participating as permanent observers ( Libya , Mauritania ,

2849-460: The MENA region as containing 20 countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Due to the geographic ambiguity and Eurocentric nature of the term "Middle East", some people, especially in sciences such as agriculture and climatology , prefer to use other terms like "WANA" ( West Asia and North Africa) or

2926-520: The Mediterranean Union as an alternative to membership of the European Union, which he opposes, and as a forum for dialogue between Israel and its Arab Neighbours. Once elected, President Sarkozy invited all heads of state and government of the Mediterranean region to a meeting in June 2008 in Paris, with a view to laying the basis of a Mediterranean Union. The Mediterranean Union was enthusiastically supported by Egypt and Israel. Turkey strongly opposed

3003-407: The Mediterranean, and would be built upon the existing Barcelona process. Turkey also agreed to take part in the project following a guarantee from France that it was no longer intended as an alternative to EU membership. The proposed creation of common institutions, and a Mediterranean Investment, which was to have been modelled on the European Investment Bank , was also dropped. In consequence

3080-618: The Mediterranean. For many, the political context surrounding the 2005 summit – the stagnation of the Middle East Peace Process, the US-led war on Iraq , the lack of democratisation in Arab countries, and the war on terror 's negative effects on freedoms and human rights, among others—proved for many the inefficiency of the Barcelona Process for fulfilling its objectives of peace, stability and prosperity. Given these circumstances, even politicians that had been engaged with

3157-405: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) refers to changes in the climate of the MENA region and the subsequent response, adaption and mitigation strategies of countries in the region. In 2018, the MENA region emitted 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and produced 8.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) despite making up only 6% of the global population. These emissions are mostly from

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3234-412: The Ministers decided to shorten the initiative's name to simply the "Union for the Mediterranean". This meeting concluded with a new joint declaration, which completed the Paris Declaration by defining the organisational structure and the principles on which the UfM would be run. A rotating co-presidency was set up, held jointly by one EUmember country and one Mediterranean partner. France and Egypt were

3311-410: The North accused Southern countries of only being interested on "their own bi-lateral relationship with the EU" while downplaying multilateral policies. However, many European Union diplomats have defended the validity of the Barcelona Process' framework by arguing that the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership was the only forum that gathered Israelis and Arabs on equal footing ), and identifying as successes

3388-410: The beliefs they follow to, such as Buddhism and Hinduism among South Asian, East Asian and Southeast Asian migrants. The demographics of the Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ) region show a highly populated, culturally diverse region spanning three continents . As of 2022, the population was around 493 million. The class, cultural, ethnic, governmental, linguistic and religious make-up of

3465-405: The conference by saying that they were brought together to straighten out the "clash of civilizations" and misunderstandings that there had been between them, and that it "was auspicious" that they had convened on the 900th anniversary of the First Crusade . He described the conference as a process to foster cultural and economic unity in the Mediterranean region. The Barcelona Treaty was drawn up by

3542-436: The end of February of that year, France's minister for European affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet , stated that "there is no Mediterranean Union" but rather a "Union for the Mediterranean" that would only be "completing and enriching" to existing EU structures and policy in the region. Following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel it was agreed that the project would include all EU member states , not just those bordering

3619-415: The first countries to hold this co-presidency. The presence of the Arab League at all meetings is written into the rules. A secretariat with a separate legal status and its own statutes was created. Its headquarters were established in Barcelona. The fact that the Union for the Mediterranean is launched as a new phase of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership means that the Union accepts and commits to maintain

3696-424: The highest level. According to the Paris Declaration: The first summit was held in Paris in July 2008. The second summit should have taken place in a non-EU country in July 2010 but the Euro-Mediterranean countries agreed to hold the summit in Barcelona on 7 June 2010, under the Spanish presidency of the EU , instead. However, on 20 May the Egyptian and French co-presidency along with Spain decided to postpone

3773-546: The idea and originally refused to attend the Paris conference until it was assured that membership of the Mediterranean Union was not being proposed as an alternative to membership of the EU. Among EU member states, the proposal was supported by Italy, Spain, and Greece. However the European Commission and Germany were more cautious about the project. The European Commission saying that while initiatives promoting regional co-operation were good, it would be better to build them upon existing structures, notable among them being

3850-404: The less common NAWA (North Africa-West Asia). Usage of the term WANA has also been advanced by postcolonial studies . The United Nations geoscheme used by the UN Statistics Division for its specific political geography statistics needs, does not define a single WANA region, but it does feature two subregions called Western Asia and Northern Africa, respectively: In a 1995 publication,

3927-401: The main impacts of climate change as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The MENA region is especially vulnerable to such impacts due to its arid and semi-arid environment, facing climatic challenges such as low rainfall, high temperatures and dry soil. The climatic conditions that foster such challenges for MENA are projected by the IPCC to worsen throughout

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4004-463: The major tribal, ethnic, sectarian, and regional differences', by 'demographic, economic, and security trends', and by 'quality of governance, internal security system, justice systems, and [social] progress.' In some countries, the necessary societal factors for successful democratic change (often championed by some in the region and in the West to address various issues) are absent, and political revolutions may not always lead to more stability, nor solve

4081-510: The more common MENASA. The term MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey) has been used to include Turkey in the list of MENA countries. The term Near East was commonly used before the term Middle East was coined by the British in the early 20th century. The term Ancient Near East is commonly used by scholars for the region in antiquity . Some organisations and scholars insist on still using 'Near East' today, with some including North Africa, but definitions range widely and there

4158-433: The most innovative aspects of the Partnership, covering at the same time the political, economic and cultural fields (regional co-operation). Regional co-operation has a considerable strategic impact as it deals with problems that are common to many Mediterranean Partners while it emphasises the national complementarities. The multilateral dimension supports and complements the bilateral actions and dialogue taking place under

4235-403: The new Union for the Mediterranean would consist of regular meeting of the entire EU with the non-member partner states, and would be backed by two co-presidents and a secretariat. At the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean (13 July 2008), the 43 Heads of State and Government from the Euro-Mediterranean region decided to launch the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. It was presented as

4312-432: The objectives of the Barcelona Declaration into tangible results." The Paris summit was considered a diplomatic success for Nicolas Sarkozy. The French president had managed to gather in Paris all the Heads of State and Government from the 43 Euro-Mediterranean countries, with the exception of the kings of Morocco and Jordan . At the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Affairs held in Marseilles in November 2008,

4389-469: The only leaders from the Mediterranean countries to attend, while those of Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt were not present." [1] From the official web site, "The new realities and challenges of the 21st century make it necessary to update the Barcelona Declaration and create a new Action Plan (based on the good results of the Valencia Action Plan), encompassing four fundamental areas": Regional dialogue represents one of

4466-442: The other, the Arab–Israeli conflict appeared to be getting closer to achieving peace after the Madrid Conference (1991) and the Oslo Accords (1992). As well, Khader states that the Gulf War of 1991, the Algerian crisis (from 1992 onwards) and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism throughout the Arab world are also important factors in Europe's new relations with the Mediterranean countries based on security concerns. Criticism of

4543-482: The peoples in the riparian states. Other criticism is mainly based on the predominant role the European Union is playing. Normally it is the EU that is assessing the state of affairs, which leads to the impression that the North is dictating the South what to do. The question of an enhanced co-ownership of the process has repeatedly been brought up over the last years. Being a long-term process and much more complex than any other similar project, it may be many years before

4620-411: The peoples of partner countries about their cultural heritages. By some analysts, the process has been declared ineffective . The stalling of the Middle East Peace Process is having an impact on the Barcelona Process and is hindering progress especially in the first basket. The economic basket can be considered a success, and there have been more projects for the exchange on a cultural level and between

4697-560: The purposes of this volume, the editors have generally chosen to define the MENA region as stretching from Morocco to Iran and from Turkey to the Horn of Africa. This definition thus includes the twenty-two countries of the Arab League (including the Palestinian Authority enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Turkey, Israel, Iran, and Cyprus.' They stressed, however, how controversial and problematic this definition is, and that other choices could also have been made according to various criteria. For its December 2012 global religion survey,

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4774-438: The region is highly variable. The MENA region has vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas that make it a vital source of global economic stability . According to the Oil and Gas Journal (January 1, 2009), the MENA region has 60% of the world's oil reserves (810.98 billion barrels (128.936 km )) and 45% of the world's natural gas reserves ( 2,868,886 billion cubic feet (81,237.8 km ) ). As of 2023, 7 of

4851-419: The rivalries to escape unpopular EU policies. There were similar economic concerns in the loss of civil society and similar human rights based policies. Duplication of policies from the EU's police and judicial area was a further worry. At the start of 2008, Sarkozy began to modify his plans for the Mediterranean Union due to widespread opposition from other EU member states and the European Commission. At

4928-431: The same countries. In a 2011 study, ICARDA stated 27 countries/territories: 'The WANA region includes: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.' Also called State of Palestine, or West Bank and Gaza (Strip). In

5005-401: The summit, in a move which they described as being intended to give more time to the indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that had started that month. In contrast, the Spanish media blamed the postponement on the Arab threat to boycott the summit if Avigdor Lieberman , Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the Foreign Affairs conference prior to the summit. At

5082-402: The term "terrorism" prevented the endorsement of a final declaration. The Palestinian Authority , Syria and Algeria argued that resistance movements against foreign occupation should not be included in this definition. Nevertheless, a code of conduct on countering terrorism and a five-year work program were approved at Barcelona summit of 2005. both of which are still valid under the Union for

5159-482: The then- Aleppo -based International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) defined its West Asia/North Africa (WANA) region as 25 countries, including: 'Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.' It noted that CGIAR 's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) excluded Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan from its 1992 WANA definition, but otherwise listed

5236-437: The three main objectives of the Partnership, called "baskets" (i.e., strands or facets): The European Union stated the intention of the partnership was "to strengthen its relations with the countries in the Mashreq and Maghreb regions". Both Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat had high praises for Solana's coordination of the Barcelona Process. The Barcelona Process, developed after the Conference in successive annual meetings,

5313-456: The time of its creation, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership comprised 27 member countries: 15 from the European Union and 12 Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco , Palestine , Syria, Tunisia , and Turkey). As a result of the European Union's enlargements of 2004 and 2007 the number of EU member states grew up to 27, and two of the Mediterranean partner countries—Cyprus and Malta —became part of

5390-430: The time of the Paris summit, France—which was in charge of the EU presidency—and Egypt held the co-presidency. Since then, France had been signing agreements with the different rotator presidencies of the EU (the Czech Republic, Sweden and Spain) in order to maintain the co-presidency for alongside Egypt. The renewal of the co-presidency was supposed to happen on the second Union for the Mediterranean Summit. However, due to

5467-443: The two postponements of the summit, there has been no chance to decide which countries will take over the co-presidency. North Africa and Middle East The Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa ( WANA ) or South West Asia and North Africa ( SWANA ), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia ) and North Africa together. However, it

5544-584: The underlying problems in a given MENA country. However, it also found that 'the majority of MENA nations have remained relatively stable and continue to make progress'. During and after the decolonisation of Africa and Asia in the 20th century, many different armed conflicts have occurred in the MENA region, including but not limited to the Rif War ; the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict ; the Arab–Israeli conflict ;

5621-482: The world's Muslim population. The term "MENA" is often defined in part in relation to majority-Muslim countries located in the region, although several nations in the region are not Muslim-dominated. Major non-Islamic religions native here are Christianity , Judaism , Yazidism , Druzeism , African folk religions , Berberism and other Arab paganism. Migrant population, mostly within the Gulf nations, practice mostly

5698-582: The world's least peaceful region, despite improvements for 11 countries'. According to an in-depth multi-part study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published in April 2016, the factors shaping the MENA region are exceedingly complex, and it is difficult to find 'any overall model that fits the different variables involved'. It found that there were 'deep structural causes of violence and instability'. Wars and upheavals are partly 'shaped by

5775-618: Was also endorsed by the Paris Summit of 2008. In addition to these four chapters of cooperation, the 43 Ministers of Foreign Affairs gathered in Marseilles in November 2008 identified six concrete projects that target specific needs of the Euro-Mediterranean regions and that will enhance the visibility of the Partnership: A summit of heads of state and government is intended to be held every two years to foster political dialogue at

5852-578: Was elected president of the Foundation. The Anna Lindh Foundation facilitates and supports the action of civil society of the Euro-Mediterranean Region in priority fields which affects the capacity for individuals and groups to share values and live together. The Foundation's programme is focused on activities in fields which are essential for human and social dialogue: Education and Youth; Culture and Arts; Peace and Co-existence; Values, Religion and Spirituality; Cities and Migration; Media. The purpose of

5929-426: Was set up in 1995 as the Barcelona Process . Its general secretariat is located in Barcelona, Catalonia , Spain . The union has the aim of promoting stability and integration throughout the Mediterranean region. It is a forum for discussing regional strategic issues, based on the principles of shared ownership, shared decision-making and shared responsibility between the two shores of the Mediterranean. Its main goal

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