At the meeting of the European Council held on 9 and 10 December 1991 in Maastricht, the Heads of State or Government of the Twelve decide to establish a ‘Drugs Unit’, to be responsible for combating international drug trafficking and organised crime in Europe, as a first step towards the creation of Europol.

On 31 May 1996, the conclusions of the Euro-Mediterranean ministeral conference on the information society held in Rome emphasise the importance of strengthening cooperation between the Euro-Mediterranean partners in the fields of telecommunications and information technology.

In November 1995, the French monthly newspaper Le Monde diplomatique analyses the implications of the Barcelona Conference due to be held on 27 and 28 November, which would lay the foundations for the Euro-Mediterranean Association initiated by the European Union.

On 21 May 1996, the Brussels Declaration sets out the decisions taken at the ministerial Euro-Mediterranean Conference on industrial cooperation, held in Barcelona.