Although the presentation was initially announced for September, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, revealed on Wednesday 9 July that the ‘New Pact for the Mediterranean’ could be adopted by the College of Commissioners in mid-October.
“We hope that the Pact will be adopted by the College of Commissioners on 15 October”, explained the Commissioner during a speech at the ‘MedCat Days + EU Investment in strategic Projects’ conference in Barcelona, pointing out that this would be just a few weeks before the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. “The Pact aims to give definitive form to the vision of the Barcelona Declaration. This does not mean that nothing has been done, but that we must move on from words to deeds, guaranteeing a shared space for peace, prosperity and stability anchored in all areas of common interest”, she explained. Ms Šuica saw a role for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in implementing this pact.
“The UfM could play a central role in guiding political and strategic development in the region”, she said, pointing out that the Union for the Mediterranean was the only international organisation bringing together all the Mediterranean partners. “We must seize the momentum of the New Pact and the new strategy of the Union for the Mediterranean [which should be presented in the next few weeks – editor’s note], in order to create strong and effective synergies”, she explained, specifying that the Pact should focus on “concrete initiatives, tangible results in key areas, to the benefit of the populations” in the economic, energy, “human” and migration management fields.
Ms Šuica explained that the aim of the Pact was to link not two, but three shores of the Mediterranean: the northern shore, the southern shore and the countries of the Gulf. “It is important to understand that, in the context of my mandate, we cannot imagine peace, security and prosperity in the Mediterranean region without the involvement of the Gulf countries”, she explained. She went on to add: “Strengthening cooperation between the EU, North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf States, as part of a partnership of equals, offers many win-win situations”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)