The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership : The Barcelona Process since 1995

In 1995, the EU 15 and twelve Mediterranean states concluded the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. This agreement involves cooperation in political, economic and cultural matters. It aims at creating a common area of peace, stability and prosperity. This study discusses the concept of the EU as a 'normative' actor and questions its validity. In doing so, it relies on a neo-realist analysis. Democracy promotion, Euro-Mediterranean trade relations and migration are policy areas which, each for its own reasons, deserve special attention in the framework of the Barcelona process. This paper reviews the reality of Euro-Mediterranean relations and compares them with official EU documentation to demonstrate that the concept of the EU as a benign 'normative' actor suffers from severe shortcomings. Biographische Informationen Markus Hahn, geboren 1980, Studium der Rechtswissenschaften und der Europäischen und Internationalen Politik an den Universitäten Passau, Genf und Edinburgh, Abschluss 2006 als Diplom-Jurist an der Universität Passau und 2007 als Master of Science in International and European Politics an der Universität Edinburgh, derzeit beim Landgericht Duisburg beschäftigt als Rechtsreferendar.