Schneider Electric SEMed Private Renewable Energy Framework - SPREF Water, Environment & Blue Economy Capacity Building Programme on Water Integrity in the Middle East and North Africa BlueGreen Med-CS MED RESCP – POST RIO +20: Supporting the adoption of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and Resource Efficiencu (RE) models in the Mediterranean region Towards a Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform Integrated Programme for Protection of the Lake Bizerte against Pollution Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector The "Desalination Facility for the Gaza Strip" Project PLASTIC-BUSTERS for a Mediterranean free from litter MedCoast4BG – Med Coasts for Blue Growth Results European Union free trade agreements currently exist with Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Turkey, but the proposed union-wide free trade area has not been created. In 2020, Haizam Amirah-Fernandez criticized European countries for conducting foreign policy based on their perceived security interests, saying it caused them to work with autocratic regimes rather than push for democracy. He pointed out that since its creation 25 years earlier, only one member country, Tunisia, has become democratic, and he argued that was despite and not because of European powers. Institutions In contrast with the Barcelona Process, one of the biggest innovations of the Union for the Mediterranean is its institutional architecture. It was decided at the Paris Summit to provide the Union with a whole set of institutions in order to up-grade the political level of its relations, promote a further co-ownership of the initiative among the EU and Mediterranean partner countries and improve the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership's visibility. North and South Co-presidency system With the purpose of guaranteeing the co-ownership of the Union for the Mediterranean, the Heads of State and Government decided in Paris that two countries, one from the EU and one from the Mediterranean partner countries, will jointly preside the Union for the Mediterranean. The 27 agreed that the EU co-presidency had to "be compatible with the external representation of the European Union in accordance with the Treaty provisions in force." "The Mediterranean partner countries decided to choose by consensus and among themselves a country to hold the co-presidency for a non-renewable period of two years." From 2008 to 2012, France & Egypt ensured the UfM's first co-presidency. In 2012 the secretariat announced that the co-presidency of Egypt would be succeeded by Jordan, and that of France by the European Union. The change which, took place in September 2012 was decided