Speech by Commissioner Šuica at the launch of the Pact for the Mediterranean

Dear Kaja, Ministers, Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

This is a special moment.

Thirty years after the Barcelona Declaration, we are marking a new era in our collective engagement across the Mediterranean.

Let me sincerely thank all ministers.

Your participation demonstrates the strategic importance we all attach to strengthening our cooperation.

The Pact for the Mediterranean, which we are launching today, sets out a new ambitious framework of cooperation.

We have been working on it from Day One of this mandate.

In times of geo-strategic and economic insecurities, we want to strengthen the relations with our trusted partners and closest neighbours.

As you know, we have not started from scratch.

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

We are, however, making a real shift.

We are creating a partnership of equals.

And this reinforced partnership is grounded in co-ownership and joint responsibility.

We are going much more granular with the Pact.

There are more than 100 concrete initiatives and actions – to

achieve tangible results for our citizens and the economies.

What we want is to deliver prosperity and long-term stability.

Dear Colleagues,

With the Pact we are creating a true Common Mediterranean Space.

Let me very briefly underline some of the flagship actions of the Pact.

Firstly, we are putting people at the centre as the driving force of change and innovation.

We will create the Mediterranean University, a true common education space.

We want to extend Erasmus+ providing mobility opportunities for higher education students, researchers and academic staff. This is about brain circulation, not brain drain.

We will create a MED Skills Tracker to recognise qualifications and experience, to support job matching and mobility.

We will scale up Talent Partnerships to promote labour mobility and skills.

To ensure that young peoples voices are heard, we will establish a Youth Parliamentary Assembly.

We can only create a prosperous future for the Mediterranean with its youth.

This is very close to my heart.

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

We will set up StartUp4Med, an ecosystem that provides access to finance, mentoring and legal support for innovative entrepreneurs.

Through the Tech Business Offer, we will strengthen connectivity via MEDUSA and Blue-Raman cables. We will also support AI data infrastructure.

On energy, we will launch T-MED – the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Initiative. The potential of solar, wind, and green hydrogen in the Mediterranean is enormous.

This initiative will also create the much-needed quality jobs.

And it is the model investment platform, where we want to bring together ready-to-go projects with public and private financing.

We can count on the European Investment Bank and the EBRD to leverage investment from the private sector.

With the Blue Mediterranean Health and Wealth Initiative, we will invest in sustainable fisheries, clean seas and maritime innovation.

And thirdly, we are strengthening cooperation on security, preparedness, and migration management.

We will fight irregular migration and migrant smuggling through a whole-of-route approach.

We are devising more legal pathways for orderly and safe labour migration.

With the EU-Med Peace and Security Initiative we will keep fighting terrorism and scale up prevention of radicalisation.

With MED-OP, we will step up operational cooperation to fight organised crime, bringing the law enforcement and judicial cooperation closer.

On preparedness for natural disasters, we are going to support the development of hazard early-warning systems and establish a European firefighting hub.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All these initiatives and actions from the Pact need to be delivered.

This is why my services are working together with yours on an Action Plan, to be ready in early 2026.

This is our next milestone.

Because we need to turn words into deeds.

I call on all of you to invest in delivering this agenda, together.

After this meeting, we gather at the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Forum.

With its unique convening power, the Union for the Mediterranean will be an important partner in the roll-out of the Pact.

And some of these actions of strategic interest will be expanded to other partners beyond the southern Mediterranean, like Mauritania.

Today is a special day in our common undertaking.

I am glad we are launching the Pact together.

Thank you all very much.