European Union foreign ministers and their counterparts from the members of the Barcelona Process Union for the Mediterranean concluded their two-day meeting here on Tuesday after discussions on institutional structures.
The ministers had a discussion on the new institutional governance of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, that from now on will be called "Union for the Mediterranean."
They decided that the secretariat of the 43-nation union would be established in Barcelona, Spain to "allow the partners of both shores of the Mediterranean to work better together to face common challenges."
The plenary session was focused on the concrete project areas on which the partners will work in priority -- de-pollution of the Mediterranean, maritime and land highways, civil protection, alternative energies and the Mediterranean Solar Plan, higher education and research, the Mediterranean Business Development Initiative.
They also discussed regional issues, including the Middle East Peace Process.
Javier Solana, top European Union diplomat, said: "The qualitative change we have made today is very important and significant. We have six good project areas."
"We have now the responsibility to work quickly and efficiently. We will be judged on how we progress on those projects. It is very important to have adequate mechanisms that allow 43 countries to adopt decisions swiftly," he said.
The Union for the Mediterranean, which was initiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and launched on July 13 in Paris, was aimed at deepening cooperation between the EU and its southern neighbors.
But months later, it is still stalled because of disputes over where to base its headquarters, who should attend meetings and who should get the top jobs.
This ministerial meeting served as a crucial test of the credibility of plans for Europe to cooperate with southern nations on issues of immigration, energy, environment protection and transport.
Source:Xinhua
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