Problems addressed• Decentralised cooperation in the Mediterranean area, despite of its historical importance and the enormous extent of its geographical, cultural and economical relevance, is made difficult by lack of appropriate rules, facilities and, as a consequence, is neglected by the first-line actors.• The integrating effort is focusing interests and resources towards the eastern borders of the Union, while the countries laying on the Southern rim of the continent experience on a day-to-day basis the challenge to define long-term strategies to interact with Africa and Asia – as its been going on since 5,000 years ago.• The Barcelona process is giving priority to State-level relations: these are just the initial step towards the meeting of peoples through decentralised co-operation initiatives.Objectives• To smoothen the process of establishing concrete common working plans and common transnational co-operation projects between the European, African and Asian countries along the shores of the Mediterranean basin• To identify the basis for an operational programme allowing for a better integration of MED-country partners within the EU future external co-operation instruments (the coming Co-operation Objective of the Structural funds and the recent Neighbourhood Instrument)Approach and methodology• To analyse and compare existing or future trends of European Co-operation (namely: IIIA Transadriatic, IIIB MedOcc, CADSES and Archimed, IIIA Spain-Morocco, IIIA Greece-Turkey, …) and to close monitor and learn from the two-year implementation of the new Neighbourhood Instrument as concerns the Mediterranean area.• To involve Mediterranean partners through direct interviews with relevant policy- and opinion-makers; public meetings and seminars involving regional stakeholders.• Common approach to the criteria for the identification of decentralised public partners in the MED countries. Expected Results: • National directives for transMediterranean co-operation in the MED countries, including basic guidelines for the identification of local roles and responsibilities and rules allowing for decentralised participation.• Training courses for top-level servants of MEDA countries public administration on general programming and management principles of Interreg and draft educational path for relevant officials in charge of managing the transnational co-operation operations at national level.• Road map setting the steps and schedule for the concrete establishment of the new framework for Mediterranean co-operation, beyond the Neighbourhood instrument, under the Cooperation objective.