Med Union priorities explained

A Paris summit hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy has launched a 43-nation Union for the Mediterranean.

Mr Sarkozy was delighted to get so many Arab leaders and Israel together

The new grouping embraces the 27 EU nations along with countries in the Middle East and North Africa that form the Mediterranean Sea's eastern and southern rim.

In a declaration, the 43 nations - including Israel and Arab states - pledged to "pursue a mutually and effectively verifiable Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction".

Mr Sarkozy singled out as a "success" the fact that Israel's prime minister had sat at the same table as Syria's president. The two countries are still technically at war. The leaders of the Palestinian Territories and many other Arab countries also attended Sunday's summit, though Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi boycotted it.

The declaration speaks of the leaders' determination to "transform the Mediterranean into an area of peace, democracy, co-operation and prosperity".

The new union is aimed at building on the "Barcelona Process" for Euro-Mediterranean co-operation, launched in 1995.

Among its stated goals are:

• An ambition to build a common future based on the full respect of democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms
• Determination to eradicate terrorism and to combat its sponsors
• Creation of a free trade area in the Euromed region by 2010 and beyond and the promotion of all-round regional economic integration
• Promoting orderly managed legal migration and fighting illegal migration.

The summit was co-chaired by Mr Sarkozy and Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. Future summits - to be held twice-yearly - will also be co-chaired, emphasising the partnership of EU members and non-EU Mediterranean countries. The summits will be hosted alternately by EU and non-EU countries.

A joint secretariat will be set up to oversee projects and find partners, and the union's structures should be fully operational by the end of 2008.

The summit produced some practical projects - outlined in an annex to the declaration - with each member state free to participate:

• De-pollution of the Mediterranean: Cleaning up sea water and coastal areas
• Sea and land "highways": Developing port infrastructure, coastal motorways, modernising the trans-Maghreb train, co-operation in maritime safety
• Civil protection: Joint efforts to prevent and respond to natural and man-made disasters
• Alternative energy: Exploring the feasibility of a "Mediterranean Solar Plan" to develop solar power as a key energy source, along with other green energy sources
• Higher education: Establishing a Euro-Mediterranean University, based in Slovenia, promoting academic mobility and partnerships among member states' universities
• Mediterranean business initiative: Providing technical and financial help for small and medium-sized companies, using voluntary contributions from member states.