Abstract
The Union for the Mediterranean (UFM) is the new framework for Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. It is the result of a long evolution since the 1995 Barcelona process, which is the basis upon which was launched the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP), now integrated in the UFM. The latter was endorsed at the Paris Summit of Heads of State and Government (July 2008) but took a more concrete form with the Marseilles Foreign ministers conference.
The launching of this new policy was the occasion to raise many questions about the European Union and its unity, as well as its capacity to manage effectively its neighborhood policies. Indeed, France was the pioneer of the idea of a UFM; President Sarkozy wanted to show that the european neighborhood policy which was directed towards eastern Europe had to be balanced thanks to a deepening of the EU's relations with the Mediterranean countries.
