Shen noted that although these diplomatic achievements were not exactly connected with the Union for the Mediterranean, the organization offers its member states opportunities and possibilities.

"The union will play a special role in the Mediterranean region, but it is not a silver bullet," said Liu from the CIIS, pointing out several difficulties the union faces.

The first obstacle comes from the EU itself. Member states face a problem of unity since voters in Ireland rejected a reform treaty in a June 12 referendum, blocking its ratification. The EU must address this issue and continue to reform its decision-making system, Liu said.

Territorial disputes still exist among members of the Union for the Mediterranean, for example, between Greece and Turkey, and the Israelis and the Palestinians. These disputes might undermine the union's unity, Liu said.

Not all Mediterranean countries want to join the union. Libya refused the invitation. Arab countries also worry that the newly established union will erode the function and unity of the League of Arab States and African Union and weaken the two organizations' voices in world affairs.

"They are afraid of becoming simple cheap resource suppliers," Liu said.

It is true that the Union for the Mediterranean could offer a platform for resolving disputes, "but we must see that these problems cannot be solved very easily," Liu said. "It is not realistic to expect the Middle East peace process to be pushed forward just by establishing a new organization."

"Generally speaking, the newly established union is an updated version of the Barcelona Process," Liu concluded. In 1995, the EU and 12 non-EU countries in the Mediterranean region held a summit meeting to launch the Barcelona Process, or Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The EU committed 2 billion euro ($3.12 billion) annually to support regional cooperation and development, the objective being to establish a free trade area by 2010. However, the Barcelona Process has not been as effective as expected.

The Barcelona Process is now almost an empty vessel, Liu noted. If member states do not build on its lessons, he cautioned, the Union for the Mediterranean risks going down the same path.

The Mediterranean Measuring 4,000 km from east to west and 1,800 km from north to south, the Mediterranean covers about 2.5 million square km. The Mediterranean borders Europe in the north, Africa in the south and Asia's Middle East area in the east. It connects with both the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Black Sea through the Strait of Turkey. Since the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the southeast Mediterranean also joins the Red Sea, which opens into the Indian Ocean. Statistics show that more than 2,000 ships sail the Mediterranean daily. West European countries import about 85 percent of their oil through the Mediterranean. Due to the Mediterranean Sea's importance in economic, political and military affairs, the region has long been a strategic area for world powers. Today the Mediterranean Sea has the largest concentration of warships belonging to Western countries. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)