MEDSTAT Programme

This section is no longer being maintained. Please explore the new section European Neighbourhood Policy countries (launched April 2011).

Welcome to the MEDSTAT Programme

MEDSTAT is the regional statistical co-operation programme between:

• The 27 EU Member States
• 10 Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

The MEDSTAT programme aims to compare and harmonise statistics in different statistical sectors.Special attention is paid to the coherence, harmonisation and dissemination of data in the following 9 sectors (priority sectors):

Trade in goods and services, Transport, Migration, Tourism, Environment, National accounts, Social statistics, Energy and Agriculture.


MEDSTAT is marked by the following milestones:

• Barcelona Conference (November 1995) : The Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Barcelona led to the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership (Barcelona Process), a wide framework of political, economic and social relations between participating countries.
• MEDSTAT I (December 1996 to March 2003): With a budget of EUR 20 million, the first phase of the MEDSTAT programme covered six statistical sectors: trade in goods and services, transport, migration, tourism, environment and national accounts.
• EU Enlargement (1 May 2004): Two Mediterranean partners (Cyprus and Malta) joined the European Union.
• MEDSTAT II (2006 to September 2009): With a budget of EUR 30 million, the second phase covered in addition the sectors of social statistics, agriculture and energy.

The MEDA programme is the principal financial instrument of the European Union for the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It offers technical and financial support for the reform of economic and social structures in the Mediterranean partner countries.


The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) aims to prevent new dividing lines emerging between the EU and its neighbours, and thereby increase the prosperity, stability and security of all concerned. Among other countries, it applies to all the Mediterranean partners except Turkey, and reinforces the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

The strategic framework for implementing this policy is drawn up in the Regional Strategy Paper 2007-2013 that prioritises three objectives:

• A common Euro-Mediterranean area of justice, security and migration cooperation
• A common sustainable economic area, with a focus on trade liberalisation, regional trade integration, infrastructure networks and environmental protection
• A common sphere for socio-cultural exchanges, with a focus on cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and on the raising of awareness of the Partnership through the media

The Regional Indicative Programme 2007–2010 converts this strategic framework into concrete action programmes.


The ENPI Info Centre aims to make the Regional Programmes and the EU's partnership with the neighbourhood countries more visible.

Its website provides more information on:

• The European Neighbourhood Policy's Southern Dimension
• The EU’s partnership with the Mediterranean countries
• The MEDA programme
• EU funded regional programmes