Assessment of the Barcelona Process in the Light of the New International and Regional Situation

This is the sixth in a series of ten papers jointly published by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) which aim to address ten critical topics for Euro-Mediterranean relations. The papers have been commissioned with a view to formulating policy options on a set of issues which are central to achieving the objectives set out in the 1995 Barcelona Declaration and the 2008 Paris Declaration, as well as defining new targets for 2020 in the political, economic and social spheres. This sixth paper offers an assessment of the Barcelona Process with a detailed analysis of the institutional and economic dimension of Euro-Mediterranean relations.

The analysis of Professor Erwan Lannon shows the diversity and complexity of the frameworks and instruments of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. Firstly, he evaluates the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, secondly focuses on the European Neighbourhood Policy and, finally, he examines the potential impact of the Union for the Mediterranean and the Advanced Status of Morocco. From another point of view, Professor Azzam Mahjoub centres his analysis on the economic aspects of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership evaluating the objectives outlined in the Barcelona Declaration and the outputs of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Zone. In his opinion, the objective of reducing disparities is the most important challenge as there has been no relevant progress in the nine Mediterranean countries studied. In spite of the acknowledgment of some shortcomings in the Barcelona Process, both authors put forward a set of proposals to achieve the full potential of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.