Franco-German summit postponed amidst speculation of rift- by Honor Mahony
A planned meeting between the leaders of France and Germany for 3 March has been postponed until June amid speculation that disagreement over Paris' proposed Mediterranean Union is the cause. According to a report in German daily Die Welt on Friday, the mini-summit between President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel will now take place three months later, on 9 June, as the two sides are unable to find a common position on the proposed union.Mr Sarkozy's proposal for a Mediterranean Union, involving a union of EU and non-EU Mediterranean states - including Turkey - has caused concern in Brussels and particular criticism in Germany, both of which fear that existing EU policies towards the area will be undermined.
German secretary of state for European affairs Guenter Gloeser last week repeated Berlin's line on the issue, saying that cooperation between the countries around the Mediterranean must take place "within the framework of the existing European institutions."
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