Brussels, 27/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - The French project for a “Union for the Mediterranean” (initially called the “Mediterranean Union”) will be one of the key subjects on the agenda of the bilateral meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to be held in Hanover on 3 March. This was announced by the spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, Pascale Andréani, on 26 February in Paris. Denying any “disagreement” between France and Germany on this subject, the spokeswoman nonetheless acknowledged that “clarification is needed”. Dialogue between the two countries on this subject is “constant and in-depth, and I have no doubt they will come to agreement”, she asserted. The same day, in Brussels, the French secretary of State for European affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, also sought to allay German fears that this project would divide the EU if only the member states of the Mediterranean rim were part of it. “It must be done with full involvement by all EU countries that wish to take part in the adventure”, he explained, giving his assurance that it was not just a matter of “completing and enriching” the Barcelona Process. It is not a question of siphoning Community funds, he added, as “from the moment when Community financing is used, it cannot be done outside EU rules”. (H.B.)