Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, pointedly told France's ruling UMP party yesterday that the future stability of the Mediterranean region affected the whole European Union and that all 27 member states should be involved in the engagement process.

Mrs Merkel's comments, at a joint appearance in Paris with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared to be a polite rebuff of his proposals to launch a Mediterranean Union, linking those EU member states that border the sea with their north African neighbours.