8th EuroMed Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Barcelona VIII)

The Conference of Foreign Ministers, which meets at 18-month intervals, will address key issues relating to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership under the chairmanship of Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. EU Foreign Ministers and their Mediterranean counterparts (from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunis, Turkey and the Palestinian Administration), as well as representatives from the EU institutions and observers, will review the progress made in implementing the five-year work programme adopted in November 2005 and set out guidelines for work over the coming year. Speakers at the plenary session will tackle issues such as inter-cultural dialogue, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the related financing instrument, funding issues and working methods relating to the EuroMed partnership, and the question of how to make the partnership more transparent. The meeting will also discuss the outcome of other ministerial meetings that took place earlier this year.