A little clarification, please, on the ‘Union of the Mediterranean’

President Sarkhozy’s proposal for a Union of the Mediterranean has attracted some interest, but as independent observers, CEPS researcher Michael Emerson and Nathalie Tocci are somewhat puzzled as to what he has in mind. A basic question they raise in this CEPS Commentary is how this Union would relate to the EU’s present policies in the region, which is based on the 12-year old Barcelona process, onto which has been rather clumsily grafted the Southern branch of the two-year old European Neighbourhood Policy.