The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, said, on Thursday 3 April, that at a time of geostrategic uncertainty, “strengthening Mediterranean partnerships is of great importance”.
“Now is the right moment for Europe to engage and deepen the relations in the Mediterranean”, she stressed at the Forum on the Future of the Mediterranean, held during the Spanish Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.
At the Forum, Ms Šuica detailed what will be included in the New Pact for the Mediterranean that she will present in the autumn (see EUROPE 13584/18).
The Commissioner put forward the idea of a Trans-Mediterranean Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative (T-MED), which she said will “deliver multiple benefits: faster economic development and more quality jobs, lower unemployment rates among young people, greater competitiveness, faster decarbonisation and more security in energy supply for both sides”.
Ms Šuica also wants the Pact to include a strong cultural and educational dimension, with closer cooperation between foundations, university exchanges and the creation of a Mediterranean University Network. She further stated her “conviction” that a Youth Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean would be of “immense value”.
Finally, the Pact will focus on strengthening cooperation on security issues, for example in the fight against organised crime and people smugglers along migratory routes. “And we need to look for legal pathways for migration and skills development”, added the Commissioner. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)