A Europe of blocs?

A Europe of blocs?
Mark Mardell
30 Apr 08, 12:01 AM

The French President nearly upset the EU apple-cart when he proposed a Mediterranean Union including EU and non-EU countries around that sea.

How far will the Poles go when they make proposals for a similar Baltic-to-the-Black-Sea Union?
The idea was a little noticed result of the European Council meeting back in March.

Then, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested that if Turkey and the countries of North Africa could link up with the EU countries bordering the Med, it was only fair the East should
have the same opportunities.

Polish diplomats do not see their plan as ambitious as the Mediterranean, but argue that if the French, Italian, Spanish and Greeks can link up with countries in North Africa and negotiate with the rest of the European union as a bloc, then they should be allowed to do the same alongside Georgia and Ukraine.

I presume the link-up would be between the 10 former communist countries of the East and those six in the relevant European neighbourhood policy.