The Mediterranean is one of the priorities of Spanish foreign policy and a strategic focus area for the European Union. Its stability and prosperity directly affect those of Spain and other members of the European Union. Our relationship with the Mediterranean and with the countries on its eastern and southern shores goes beyond mere proximity, it is one of of partnership and interdependence.
In recent decades, the Mediterranean region has undergone profound changes that have made it a remarkably complex and diverse area. Moreover, in a period marked by global tensions and multifaceted crises, the Mediterranean has been the scene of the emergence of new players and major challenges arising from political transition processes, armed conflicts, socio-economic disparities, migratory flows, energy market disruptions and the digital transition. In the face of these challenges, Spain has promoted the consolidation and deepening of the Mediterranean partnership in both the European and multilateral areas.
In terms of Europe, Spain has strongly supported the European Neighbourhood Policy in its Southern Dimension. In 2021, Spain supported the adoption of the New Agenda for the Mediterranean, and in 2024 led the debate on strengthening this policy. This debate has led to the appointment, for the first time, of a Commissioner for the Mediterranean, and the preparation of a Pact for the Mediterranean aimed at redefining the EU's relationship with the Southern Neighbourhood (SN), as well as with the Gulf. In this effort to strengthen the relationship with the SN and the countries that make it up (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria – suspended since 2011 – and Tunisia), Spain has facilitated the holding of several EU-SN ministerial meetings and has promoted greater institutionalisation of the bi-regional relationship.
Spain has also been particularly active in the informal Mediterranean cooperation group comprising the nine EU Member States with a Mediterranean focus (MED-9). Since its creation in 2013 and with Spain's support, the MED-9 has become a consolidated forum to promote a shared vision of the future for the Mediterranean region and ensure that the area remains high on the EU agenda. In November 2023, Madrid hosted the first MED-9 Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting.
At a multilateral level, alongside the boost given to the EU's Mediterranean agenda, Spain has promoted the launch and consolidation of various regional initiatives and forums aimed at strengthening regional partnerships and aligning agendas and action programmes.
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Minister Albares participates in the 6th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in December 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: NOLSOM - MAUC
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) it is the only intergovernmental organisation that brings together 43 Mediterranean countries: the 27 Member States of the European Union and 16 countries of the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean. Established in 2008 as successor to the Barcelona Process that had begun in 1995, the UfM aims to transform the Mediterranean region into a shared space of peace, stability, prosperity and security. To this end, the organisation has been deploying its action in three main areas: political dialogue, regional cooperation and support for projects that directly affect citizens. Since 2010, the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean has been based in Barcelona. The UfM operates in line with the principles of co-ownership of decisions – taken by consensus – and co-responsibility between members from the North and South of the Mediterranean. Since 2023, Spain has led, alongside other countries, the process of strengthening the UfM, adopting a package of measures to improve internal management and proposing new priorities that will be set out in a Roadmap, expected to be adopted at the end of 2025, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process.
Another multilateral institution that Spain participates prominently in is the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF). Created in 2004 to promote dialogue among cultures and civilizations, the ALF is an independent foundation based in Alexandria. It is linked to the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and governed by a Board of Governors that includes representation from all 43 UfM Member States. In recent years, amidst a particularly complex regional context, Spain has opted to bolster this institution and its work programme, promote intercultural dialogue, strengthen Mediterranean civil societies, and help reduce inequality.
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Participants in the 6th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in December 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: NOLSOM - MAUC
Cooperation between the countries of the Western Mediterranean basin is also the basis of the so-called "5+5 Dialogue", made up of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Malta, on the European side, and the five Maghreb countries, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. This forum was created in October 1990, in Rome, as the first forum for enhanced cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean. It marked the launch of the Renewed Mediterranean Policy to seek common solutions to shared problems and served as a precursor to the structures that were built with the Barcelona Process from 1995 onwards. Since its establishment, the 5+5 Dialogue has led to a series of ministerial meetings on both foreign affairs and other sectoral areas being held. Despite regional tensions, these meetings have proven to be extremely useful in practice. As an example, in March 2015, at the first ministerial meeting on Water, the Water Strategy for the Western Mediterranean, a joint initiative of Spain and Algeria, was approved.
Since 1994, the countries of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have also invited the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation to participate in OSCE activities. This initiative includes Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. The aim is to maintain security in the OSCE region and the Southern Mediterranean Basin through dialogue, the adoption of principles and commitments, cooperation in the OSCE's fields of activity and the transfer of experience gained by the OSCE and its Member States.
Additionally, NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue first came into being in 1994, at Spain's instigation. This brings together seven countries that are not members of the North Atlantic Alliance, but are strategically important in the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The aim is to strengthen security in Europe, which is closely linked to the security and stability of the Mediterranean.
Another framework for Mediterranean cooperation is the OECD MENA (Middle East and North African Countries) Programme, which promotes good governance, gender equality, structural reforms, economic competitiveness and the development of other key policy areas. Launched at the end of 2004, the MENA Programme is the first in which the OECD is actively engaged with Arab countries. Its initiatives include valuable studies on regional integration, governance and competitiveness.
Lastly, as a complement to its foreign policy efforts, Spain is home to two highly significant institutions that promote a deeper understanding of the Mediterranean and foster closer ties between the countries and societies in question.
Firstly, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), a consortium founded in 1989 and made up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council. The IEMed aims to encourage reflection and actions that contribute to mutual understanding, exchange and cooperation between the different Mediterranean countries, societies and cultures, and to promote the progressive construction of an area of peace and stability, shared prosperity and dialogue between cultures and civilisations in the Mediterranean.
Secondly, founded in 2009, the Casa Mediterráneo is a public consortium made up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Valencian Government, the city councils of Alicante, Benidorm and Xàbia and the Alicante Provincial Council. Its main objective is to promote mutual knowledge and closer relations between Spain and the other Mediterranean basin countries, in areas ranging from culture, economy, climate change, gender equality and scientific and technological innovation.