Creating an area of dialogue, cooperation and exchange

The South and East Mediterranean and the Middle East is an area of vital strategic importance to the European Union, which both the EU Council and the European Commission have identified as key external relations priority for the EU.

The EU's proximity policy towards the Mediterranean region is governed by the global and comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean Partnership launched at the 1995 Barcelona Conference, between the European Union and its 12 Mediterranean Partners (hence called the Barcelona Process, overarching bilateral and multilateral EU relations).

The Middle East Peace Process is separate from, but complementary to the Barcelona Process.

In addition, the EU maintains relations with Middle Eastern countries situated around the Persian/Arabian Gulf (Gulf region).

To learn more about the EU’s relations to their partner countries within the European Neighborhood Policy framework, visit the individual country profiles which contain facts and figures on the political, economic and financial aid programs.

Partner countries in the Near East:

The European institutions involved in this policy area

In the context of this EU policy, the European Commission's External Relations Directorate-General is responsible for:

·         Managing relations with the countries and territories of the region, including the negotiation and implementation of currently 11 association and cooperation agreements. Relations with the three Mediterranean Partners Cyprus, Malta and Turkey are managed by the Enlargement DG and are based on first generation association agreements;

·         Implementing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the framework of bilateral and multilateral relations with its 12 Mediterranean Partners started at the 1995 Barcelona Conference;

·         Creating the Euro-Mediterranean Free-Trade Area with the EU’s 12 Mediterranean Partners and establishing free trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council with six Gulf countries, i.e. Europe’s fourth and fifth most important trade partners;

·         Representing the Community in, and managing EU financial support to, the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP), in particular through assistance to the Palestinian Authority;

·         Preparing Commission contributions to key CFSP activities relating to countries of the region such as Iran, Libya and Algeria, to the MEPP or the Western Sahara conflict;

·         Providing backup and guidance for nine Commission Delegations in the Mediterranean region and a Technical Advisory Office in Yemen.

To this end, the Commission manages the EC budget's second biggest external relations programme, MEDA and several other regional budget lines worth together around 1 billion euro a year in new commitments.

The European Council and the Council of the European Union with its rotating Presidency have a crucial, indispensable role as political actors providing political impetus, leadership and guidance as well as serve as global decision-makers within this policy area.

The European Parliament closely participates in this policy in the framework of its competencies and as a body encouraging dialogue and the spread of the EU's common values such as human rights and democracy.

The EU Council, which together with the Parliament comprises the budgetary authority, decides the annual EU budget allocation for MEDA and other regional budget lines for the Mediterranean and Middle East.