| | | Why is Nobody Talking about the Union for the Mediterranean?
by Judith Bergman
August 14, 2018 at 5:00 am
gatestoneinstitute.org
- The EU countries involved in the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) appear unbothered by promoting "integration" -- or even claiming "a common heritage" -- with countries such as Mauritania, where, according to recent reports, up to 20% of the population (Haratines and other Afro-Mauritanian groups) is enslaved, and anti-slavery activists are regularly tortured and detained.
- There is not the slightest allusion in the UfM yearly report, or in the 2017 Roadmap for Action, to the fact that in most Muslim countries, sharia law influences the legal code -- especially regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance and child custody -- and that gender inequality may therefore be institutionalized and not something likely to change, regardless of the number of UfM projects.
- Given these large sums of money involved, it is remarkable that the UfM and its activities enjoy little to no scrutiny in the European press.
In July, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Most Europeans, however, are unlikely to have heard about the Union, let alone the anniversary. The media rarely reports on the UfM and its activities.
The participating countries in the UfM are the 28 European Union (EU) member states and the Southern Mediterranean countries, which include Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, "Palestine", Syria ( temporarily suspended), Tunisia and Turkey. Libya has observer status in the UfM. The UfM is chaired by a "co-presidency" shared between the European Union and Jordan. The UfM Secretariatmaintains the daily operations of the UfM and is run by a Secretary General, presently Nasser Kamel (Egypt). ... |
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