The Conference will take place in Marseille, France, on Wednesday 2 nd July 2008 and it will allow Ministers to continue the discussion launched at the last Ministerial Conference in Lisbon, on the ways to enhance economic integration and diversification and boost Euro-Mediterranean trade and investment with the objective of achieving a genuine Free Trade Area by 2010.

The Conference, is being organised under the French Presidency of the European Union, will discuss both progress made so far in economic and trade integration in the Mediterranean region and perspectives for 2010 and beyond. It will pave the way for the Heads of State and Government Summit on the Union for the Mediterranean which will take place in Paris on 13 July.

Ministers will first take stock of progress achieved in the on-going negotiations for the liberalisation of trade in services and establishment, negotiations on the establishment of a dispute settlement mechanism and market access for agricultural, processed agricultural and fishery products.

Last meeting were in Lisbon on 21 October to take stock of progress in the Barcelona Process goal of creating a free trade area between them by 2010. Ministers will also consider the state of regional economic integration, namely the negotiation and implementation of South-South integration initiatives as well as further steps concerning the PanEuroMed system of cumulation of origin.

Looking ahead, Ministers will make a first assessment of the on-going reflection carried out by Euromed Senior Officials on the Euromed Trade Roadmap till 2010 and beyond.

The conference will gather the Trade Ministers of the 13 countries of the Mediterranean region, together with the Trade Ministers of the EU Member States.

It will be co-chaired by Mr. Mandelson, European Trade Commissioner and Ms Idrac, State Secretary for External Trade for France, representing the EU Presidency and the hosting country.

This year's Conference will include an open session with business, which will allow an exchange of views with key representatives of the business sector from both sides of the Mediterranean.

Barcelona Process

The Barcelona Process is a unique and ambitious initiative, which laid the foundations of a new regional relationship and which represents a turning point in Euro-Mediterranean relations. In the  Barcelona Declaration, the Euro-Mediterranean partners established the three main objectives of the Partnership:

1. The definition of a common area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political and security dialogue (Political and Security Chapter).
2. The construction of a zone of shared prosperity through an economic and financial partnership and the gradual establishment of a free-trade area (Economic and Financial Chapter).
3. The rapprochement between peoples through a social, cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies (Social, Cultural and Human Chapter).