The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, held a working meeting today with the European commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica. At the meeting, Minister Albares insisted that 2025 is a key year for the Mediterranean, in which peace in the Middle East and stability of the region must be a priority of European politics.
For all these reasons, Albares, who expressed to commissioner Šuica his satisfaction with the creation of the commissariat for the Mediterranean, reaffirmed Spain's willingness to contribute to the strengthening of the EU's Mediterranean policy. In this regard, Albares conveyed Spain's willingness to collaborate with the Commission to ensure that the new Pact for the Mediterranean allows the full potential of the relationship between the EU and the Southern Neighbourhood to be harnessed.
He added that, to achieve this, clear initiatives are needed in key sectors such as training and employment; connectivity, trade and investment; and clean energy and security, as well as a decisive commitment and increased EU resources to strengthen regional institutions, in particular the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
Meeting with Nasser Kamel
In this regard, Minister Albares and the European Commissioner also met together with the UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, to analyse the challenges facing the Mediterranean and the opportunities presented in this year 2025, which could constitute a turning point for the region.
In addition to commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, in 2025 Spain will continue to assist the renewed impetus that the EU is giving to its Mediterranean policy, with the preparation and subsequent adoption of the Pact for the Mediterranean, and the strengthening of the UfM, concluding a reform process that began in 2023.
UfM reform
Albares also took advantage of the three-way meeting to recall that, in 2025, the UfM must complete the reform process that began two years ago, driven by Spain and France. And he announced that all this will be reflected in a new Roadmap that should be approved at the X Regional Forum.
With this effort, the minister reiterated that Spain is seeking to strengthen the regional partnership and the UfM, the only regional organisation that brings together the 27 EU Member States and 16 Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries on an equal footing.
Here, Albares pointed out that Spain is willing to continue driving the strengthening of the EU's Mediterranean policy and the UfM, both with the nine Mediterranean countries that make up the MED9 - with which working documents were drafted last year, whic were very well received - and with the other EU Member States and the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean partners.
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