Frequently asked questions on the Barcelona Process and the Union for the Mediterranean

The Barcelona Process is a unique and ambitious initiative that laid the foundations of a new regional partnership representing a turning point in Euro-Mediterranean relations. The ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU and 12 southern and eastern Mediterranean countries held in 1995 the first Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona and signed an agreement to launch the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Process. The Barcelona Process was born as a new dialogue framework out of a vocation to convert the Mediterranean region into a common space for peace, stability, security and shared socio-economic progress and dialogue between peoples.

In the Barcelona Declaration, the Euro-Mediterranean partners established three main objectives of the Partnership:

1. Definition of a common area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political and security dialogue (Political and Security Basket).
2. Construction of a zone of shared prosperity through an economic and financial partnership and the gradual establishment of a free-trade area (Economic and Financial Basket).
3. Rapprochement between peoples through a social, cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies (Social, Cultural and Human Basket)

This expression of good faith and the recognition that closer ties were in everyone’s interest would lead later to the creation of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in 2008.

The UfM was launched in 2008 in Paris by a decision of the UfM Heads of State and Government with a view to giving a new impetus to the Barcelona Process and increasing the potential for regional integration and cohesion.

The UfM is the only institution that brings together the European and the Southern Mediterranean countries to work together on equal footing under a North-South Co-Presidency, currently held by the EU and Jordan. It aims at enhancing regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on the lives of the citizensThe UfM Secretariat was created in Barcelona in 2010 as the operational institution that empowers regional dialogue among the UfM Member States and stakeholders, fostering synergies and coordination among them and promoting regional cooperation projects and initiatives.

The UfM has developed a specific methodology to address the root causes of the current challenges facing our region. This methodology, named the “three Ps”, is composed of three main pillars

–          Political Fora. Ministerial Meetings define the priorities through the adoption of common regional agendas. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs meet once a year at the UfM Regional Forum to define overall strategic areas and priorities. Sectorial ministerial meetings usefully complement the political dialogue by addressing key strategic priorities in the region. Declarations adopted by consensus by the 43 Ministers define the scope and objectives of common thematic agendas.

–          Dialogue Platforms. Ministerial mandates allow the UfM Secretariat to structure accordingly platforms for regional dialogue that ensure the implementation of the goals set by the sectoral Declarations. These regional platforms involve a wide range of stakeholders including government representatives, international and regional organisations, financial institutions, experts as well as private sector and civil society representatives.

–          Regional projects and initiatives, which follow-up on the political orientations and dynamics of the platforms and ensure a regional impact on the ground.

The main added value of this methodology lies in the interrelation created between the policy dimension and its operational translation into concrete projects.