External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten has announced a shake-up in the policy towards Mediterranean countries.

Date: 14/09/00

He said the overhaul of the five-year-old partnership with 12 Mediterranean states, including arch-enemies Israel, Syria and Lebanon, was designed to promote more trade liberalisation, a closer link between aid and economic and political reform, and improved dialogue on human rights. The Commissioner also urged Egypt to sign a trade and aid agreement with the EU, and called on Lebanon, Syria and Algeria to speed up talks on their accords. H EUROPEAN Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg warned this week that any attempt to increase wages in reaction to recent oil price rises would be "highly detrimental" to economic growth. He said the prospects for the euro zone were good, predicting that real gross domestic product growth in the first half of this year compared to the second half of 1999 would be around 3% on an annualised basis.