Mediterranean Union

  

Mediterranean Union Bashkimi Mesdhetar (sq) الاتحاد المتوسطي (ar) Unione Mediterranea (it)
Flag
Motto: Solidarity in Union
Headquarters	Rome, Italy
Largest city	Cairo, Egypt
Official languages	Italian, Albanian, Arabic, French, English
Other languages	Berber, Croatian
Demonym(s)	Mediterranean
Type	Intergovernmental transcontinental union and military alliance
Member states	Full members Albania Algeria Croatia Egypt Italy Libya Palestine Syria Tunisia   Observers and partners Anatolian Republic Austria Cyprus Equatorial States Greece Ireland Malta United Commonwealth   Suspended members Mauritania Sudan   Former members Portugal (as part of Iberia) Spain (as part of Iberia)
Leaders
• Secretary General	Paolo Reolon
• Commission Chair	Karim Chehat
• MLA Speaker	Fatos Pampuri
• Court President	Sayida Jaffel
Legislature	Legislative Assembly

The Mediterranean Union (MU) is a regional intergovernmental organization and military alliance in the Mediterranean Basin, consisting of member states in Southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Its stated aim is to encourage cooperation, goodwill, and prosperity between its member states within the Mediterranean through political and economic integration, as well as to provide collective security through military cooperation and mutual defense. Its headquarters and general secretariat are based in Rome, Italy and was founded in 1959 following the Bayda Affair against the backdrop of the Italo–Continental split. The Union was initiated by Italy to strengthen ties between the socialist countries in the region which did not align with the U.C.-dominated Landonist International.

The MU consists of several institutional bodies, including the Mediterranean Secretariat, the Mediterranean Commission, the Mediterranean Legislative Assembly, the Mediterranean Court of Justice, and the Mediterranean Security Council. The primary working languages of the MU are Italian, Arabic, and Albanian, as well as the diplomatic languages of French and English.

The MU has a common market combined with a free trade agreement. Policies and decision-making are handled primarily by the Mediterranean Legislative Assembly (MLA), whose members are directly elected by MU constituents. The legislative bodies of each member state elect members to serve in the Mediterranean Commission, which in turn elects officials to serve in the Mediterranean Secretariat. Although legislation passed by the MLA is generally considered non-binding, certain MU law and policies are enforced union-wide via treaties and agreements signed between its member states.

History

During much of the 20th century, the Mediterranean played central roles during the Great War. On the European side of the continent, Italy and Iberian Union emerged as the dominant Marxist–Landonist states in the region. On the African side, Egypt and Libya became leaders of the socialist Arab world. The creation of the European Community and Northern Treaty Organization raised concerns and fears that the Western Bloc countries were forming a unified alliance capable of exerting capitalist hegemony over the Mediterranean. Similar developments occurred in the Americas as the Conference of American States was formed, which prompted the Eastern Bloc countries there to form the Chattanooga Pact in response. Additionally, mutual distrust and growing discontent between the United Commonwealth and Italy, the leading socialist countries of their respective continents, led to an outright split between the two countries and their respective spheres of influence. The United Commonwealth embraced Marxism–Landonism, specifically Callahanism, while Italy increasingly distanced itself from Landonism, in favor of its own strain, known as Eurocommunism. As the two countries' foreign policies clashed, the two wrestled for influence in Europe and Northern Africa, with the United Commonwealth solidifying its ties with the Iberian Union and Ireland, and Italy consolidating its diplomatic influence over its socialist neighbors in the Mediterranean.

In 1957, leaders from Italy, Albania, Croatia, and Egypt, convened in Alexandria on talks to form a Mediterranean-based political union that would be based on socialist principles and governance. The Alexandria Declaration was signed which provided the basis for the Mediterranean Union's establishment. In 1959, Libya declared its independence and descended into a brief civil war whereby competing factions backed by the United Commonwealth and Italy respectively clashed. The pro-Italian faction prevailed and the Continental-aligned Landonists were purged in what became known as the Bayda Affair. This incident hastened talks between Italy and the signatories of the Alexandria Declaration, which led to the Mediterranean Union's establishment that same year.

See also

• Chattanooga Pact
• Conference of American States
• European Community