German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday told visiting Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak that there is no more money for promoting the Mediterranean Union.
Speaking to the press after their meeting, Merkel said no new funding was needed for the Mediterranean Union, a project that has been initiated and enthusiastically pursued by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Berlin was reportedly skeptical of the Mediterranean Union, fearing that the project might divide the European Union (EU) as only 13 EU states along the Mediterranean Ocean are the target members of the project.
Merkel told Mubarak that she was interested in promoting a Mediterranean Union, but insisted that all European countries should be involved.
"The Mediterranean region is politically so important that the whole of Europe must be responsible, not just the countries along the coast," Merkel said.
She called for more contact between Europe and the countries of the southern Mediterranean, welcoming Mubarak's involvement. The process would be advanced only if top political figures became involved, she said.
The budget allocated by the EU to the project totals 16 billion euros (around 25 billion U.S. dollars) for the period from 2007 to2013, and is sufficient, Merkel said.
Germany is the biggest net contributor to the budget of the EU.
Source:Xinhua
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