The first head of the new Mediterranean Union, Jordan's Ahmad Masa'deh, will assume his duties on Thursday at a ceremony in Barcelona, Spain's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh will attend the event at the organisation's headquarters, the ministry said in a statement.

Masa'deh, a former Jordanian ambassador to the European Union, was formally nominated secretary general of the new body in January.

Launched at a Paris summit in July 2008, the Mediterranean Union groups all 27 EU member states with countries in North Africa, the Balkans, the Arab world as well as Israel in a bid to foster cooperation in one of the world's most volatile regions.

The 43 participating countries have a combined population of over 750 million people. The project has already become a victim of the war in the Gaza Strip that ended on January 18 last year. Arab countries refused to sit next to Israel during meetings of the group.