Dear Chairman,
Vice-Chairs,
Honourable Members,
It is a pleasure to be here again after the hearing in November. Thank you for your trust. Today, we begin our regular dialogue on the activities within my portfolio.
As a former Member of this Committee, I know how important it is to stay in touch.
In the past two and a half months, we have seen major shifts in the Mediterranean, especially in the Middle East. This is the moment for the European Union to rise to the occasion.
We are strengthening our cooperation and partnerships in the region. I have been in contact with many Heads of Governments and Ministers of Foreign Affairs, including those from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. I am also in regular contact with Member States heavily involved in the Mediterranean, such as Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, Greece, and Cyprus.
Our neighbors to the south are looking for economic opportunities, access to clean technologies, and the investments they need. This should be a mutually beneficial process.
As mentioned in my hearing, they, like us, have an interest in sustainable growth and jobs for their growing population, especially young people.
We aim to design a New Pact for the Mediterranean together with our partners, and I am here today to listen to you. My next step is to travel the region to hear from all stakeholders.
Broadly, we see two elements for the New Pact: comprehensive partnerships in key areas of mutual interest and concrete regional investment initiatives.
We will also consider the cultural dimension, from the protection of cultural heritage to museum cooperation.
We are not starting from scratch. The partnerships with Tunisia and Egypt have already laid a foundation for future work.
We must also incorporate the external aspects of migration into the comprehensive partnerships. Combating migrant smuggling is essential to reducing irregular migration. We must also strengthen legal pathways to attract skills and talent.
With Morocco, people-to-people relations are very important. I am ready to strengthen our partnership in areas such as investments in the digital and green transition and continue to provide support on migration management.
There is potential to further develop our cooperation with Algeria in areas like energy, economic cooperation, and migration.
In Libya, we are closely following the political developments. In the meantime, we are engaging with all interlocutors to trigger economic and institutional development, including migration management and protection.
I look forward to continuing our exchange. Thank you.