The initiative did not come all of a sudden. Relations with the Mediterranean region had already been given a boost in 1995 with the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, launched at the Barcelona Conference. The aim of this partnership was the reinforcement of political and security dialogue, the gradual establishment of a free-trade area, and construction of a social, cultural and human partnership. The EU negotiated Association Agreements (AAs) with the Mediterranean Partners individually – eight have entered into force.1 One of the most notable features of the AAs was an incentive for the partners to approximate their legislation to that of the internal market in order to facilitate free trade.