MEPs discuss Med Union in Jordan

Maltese MEPs Simon Busuttil and John Attard Montalto yesterday had a private audience with King Abdullah II of Jordan, in Amman.

The MEPs were in Jordon as part of a group of 14 founding members of the "Friends of Jordan" group - an association of MEPs aiming to develop cooperation between the European Parliament and the Kingdom. During the meeting, the new set-up of the Mediterranean Union was discussed.

The two MEPs also participated in the plenary session of the Euro-Med Parliamentary Assembly (Empa) held on the banks of the Dead Sea.

In a final declaration, Empa called on ministers to recognise it officially as the "democratically legitimised parliamentary institution" of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean launched at a Paris summit last July.

Tokia Safi, chair of the Political Affairs Committee of the assembly said that the role of Empa must be to scrutinise and make proposals as part of the Union for the Mediterranean.