Speech by Commissioner Šuica on the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process and the Pact for the Mediterranean at the Plenary of the European Parliament

Dear President, 

Honourable Members,

Thank you very much for this debate.

When we look at the Mediterranean region, a lot has happened this year.

We have witnessed bloodshed and destruction – an escalation of war. Tens of thousands of lives lost.

But more recently, positive and encouraging developments have had the upper hand:

Fragile as it may be, there is a ceasefire in Gaza, including a longer-term peace plan.

And just last week, we held the first meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels, under the leadership of the European Commission.

Ten days ago, we held the Day of Dialogue in Damascus for the first time. We have brought the Dialogue home to Syria. This is of crucial importance to the civic space and an inclusive transition of the country.

And then the Pact for the Mediterranean which I presented together with High Representative Kallas last month.

It is our framework for the strengthened cooperation with our partners in the Middle East and North Africa.

And we also include the Gulf countries with their economic and political foot-print in the region – through triangular cooperation.

In a few days, we are marking the 30^th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration, the beginning of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean process.

We are taking this opportunity to launch the Pact for the Mediterranean through a Ministerial meeting this Friday – together with our southern partners.

In the Commission, we have been working on the Pact from Day One of this mandate.

As you know, we have not started from scratch.

We are building on the Agenda for the Mediterranean from 2021.

We are, however, really making a shift.

We have changed our methodology.

We are using a bottom-up approach.

We are creating a partnership of equals.

This reinforced partnership is grounded in co-ownership of equal partners and joint responsibility.

We are building a Common Mediterranean Space.

And this is why we are going much more granular with the Pact.

We have more than 100 concrete initiatives and actions – to tap on the full potential of our cooperation.

Let me briefly outline the three pillars of the Pact:

Firstly, we are putting people at the centre.

We want to invest in higher education, professional training, and jobs.

And we are also promoting a common space of cultural exchange, sport, and tourism.

With the creation of the Mediterranean University Network, we can help lay the foundations for skills development across the board and the entire region.

Another example is the doubling of Erasmus+ opportunities for the southern Mediterranean for students, researchers, and academic staff. It is about brain circulation, not brain drain.

Let me briefly address the disinformation on Erasmus+ which has emerged.

Arguing that Erasmus+ promotes migration from the south.

This simply is not true.

Erasmus+ is a temporary exchange system promoting skills development for the entire Mediterranean.

To the benefit of all our societies.

With the second pillar, we want to untap the potential of our economies in all areas of common interest.

For instance, through the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Initiative.

T-MED will

match ready-to-go projects with public and private financing,

icreate quality jobs in future-proof sectors, and

provide for economic and social prosperity.

At the same time, we can substantially reduce our collective carbon footprint and increase our energy security.

And finally – as the third pillar of the Pact – we are strengthening our cooperation on security, preparedness, and migration management.

Here we will

step up our cooperation on civil protection, for example through a joint Fire-Fighting Hub;

strengthen judicial and law enforcement cooperation to respond to cross-border threats and organised crime;

strengthen the prevention of radicalisation, and

last but not least, fight irregular migration and migrant smuggling — while opening more legal pathways for labour migration.

Honourable Members,

Through the Pact, we want to empower people, especially women and the youth.

We want to promote democratic participation, civil society engagement, and a more inclusive society.

We will also establish a Youth Parliamentary Assembly, bringing together young representatives from across the Mediterranean region.

The protection of human rights and the rule of law will remain key for a flourishing business environment that brings prosperity and opportunities for citizens.

Dear President,

Honourable Members,

Now we are moving on to the Pacts implementation.

My services are now working on the development of the Action Plan, which we hope to finalise and present beginning of 2026. 

This debate offers an excellent opportunity to collect your input for the Pacts Action Plan.

We need the active engagement of all levels: local, regional, national, and European.

The Pact must, first of all, be grounded in the local realities.

I am particularly grateful to the Committee of Regions, to ARLEM, and to MedCities, to mention just a few.

We are also involving the Union for the Mediterranean with its unique convening power.

The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, which I mentioned at the beginning, is taking place at a Union for the Mediterranean forum this Friday.

This is a sign of our collective appreciation for their role and its format to advance the cooperation in the Mediterranean.

Honourable Members,

I look forward to a fruitful debate.

Thank you.