Germany warns France over Med. Union plans

Germany yesterday warned that the Mediterranean Union summit should include the participation of all EU member states if Paris wants to go ahead with the idea.

The Mediterranean Union, the brainchild of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to which Malta has been invited, is to be officially launched during a summit in Paris on July 13.

"From our point of view, the cooperation in the Mediterranean region is a joint European task," government spokesman Ulrich Wilhlem said yesterday, alluding to French plans to exclude several European Union nations in the newly founded Mediterranean Union.

Berlin's response comes following reports in the French media that Paris has no plans to invite Germany to the inaugural summit of the Mediterranean Union. Instead, Germany and the other non-Mediterranean EU countries are to join the summit on July 14, a day after the opening session.

During the same month, France will be also taking over the presidency of the EU.

According to the French media, Mr Sarkozy's plans for the Mediterranean Union are at an advanced stage with detailed plans for the creation of dozens of new institutions in the areas of scientific and higher education cooperation, transportation, migration, agriculture and infrastructure projects by using the EU's neighbourhood policy fund.

France invited all surrounding countries of the Mediterranean Sea as well as Portugal, Mauritania, Jordan, the Arab League and the EU Commission President to the July 13 summit.

Mr Sarkozy's idea is to include countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Libya in this union.

Malta was one of the first EU member states to announce its interest in the idea.