04/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - UfM 2015 report highlights need for regional integration. In its activity report for 2015, which was presented on Thursday 30 June, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) states: “The Mediterranean is facing challenges on an unprecedented scale that are linked to terrorism, extremism and migration, but also to pressing environmental and socio-economic issues such as climate change and youth unemployment”. To address these challenges, the UfM Secretariat General has developed a “specific methodology” to determine projects and try to raise the funding for them. “Member States have so far approved 45 cooperation projects representing more than €5 billion in investment for the region”, the report states, adding that 22 of these projects are already being implemented. For this region, struggling with conflict and dissent, to realise its full potential, “effective regional integration is more essential than ever in order to ensure a better socio-economic future for the Mediterranean, a necessary condition for stability in the region”, states the UfM. (FB)