The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and its impact on Malta's relations with the non-member countries of the Mediterranean Region

Abstract

In 1995, the European Union and 12 Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries signed the Barcelona Declaration which established the Euro Mediterranean Partnership. This new initiative in Mediterranean relations represented a much more comprehensive Mediterranean policy by the European Union than any of its predecessors. However, despite the vast aims and principles of the Partnership, the accomplishment of the goals agreed upon has encountered and are still encountering a number of obstacles in the respective Mediterranean partners. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the level of compliance with the goals of the Barcelona Declaration achieved by the Southern Mediterranean partners. The first and second chapter shall view the various pohtical and economic reforms made by the respective Southern Mediterranean partners m relation to the first and second chapter of the Barcelona Declaration i.e. the Political and Security Partnership and the Economic and Financial Partnership. The third chapter focuses on the Partnership in Social, Cultural and Human Affairs. This chapter shall take a look at certain themes which are intrinsically related to the principles mentioned in this 'basket'. The last chapter shall be dedicated to EU Membership's impact on Malta's relations with the Non-Member countries in the Mediterranean. Geographically located between two continents, Malta's foreign policy is directly concerned with all the events that occur in its surroundings. As an EU member Malta will be working in a new international framework, nonetheless, the country's priorities remain the same, which are achieving peace and stability in the Mediterranean.