Remarks by Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu at the Opening of the High-Level Policy Conference of the Union for the Mediterranean: “Exploring the Future of Jobs and Skills in the Mediterranean Region”

Ministers, Excellencies, Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to be here with you today in Malta. Let me thank Minister Camilleri for hosting us for this important discussion on the future of jobs and skills in the Mediterranean region.

I also want to welcome the Ministers, social partners, experts, and young people who have joined us. Your presence here today shows how strongly we all care about these issues. We are not here for  abstract policy exercises. This is about your lives, your aspirations, and your future.

And it is encouraging to see so many Union for the Mediterranean Member States represented here today. In the 30^th anniversary of the Barcelona process, it is a sign of our shared agenda and purpose.

The Mediterranean has always been a bridge between people, cultures, and trade. It has also been an area marked by tensions and fragility. In todays delicate geopolitical context, it is more urgent than ever to invest in people, in skills and jobs, and in cooperation across borders. That is how we can turn the Mediterranean into a space of shared progress and opportunity.

We face different realities. But we are connected. When a young person in Tunis, Marseille or Athens finds a good job, the whole region benefits. Peace, stability and prosperity grow together.

Our economies and societies are changing fast. Digitalisation,  AI, automation, and the green transition are reshaping the world of work.

Studies suggest that as much as 40% of the skills employers need today could change within the next five years. That is an enormous shift.  

We cannot stop this transformation any more than we can stop the tide of the Mediterranean. But we can steer its course. We can make sure that workers are protected, that young people can get ahead, and that women have the same chances to build a career as men. Above all, this means investing in people.

The demographic realities of our region make this imperative even clearer.

In the Southern Mediterranean, more than half of the population is under 30. This is a huge source of dynamism and creativity – if it meets with opportunity. Yet, too many young people are still excluded from employment, education, or training. The share of young people not in employment, education, or training (the so-called NEETs) remains among the highest in the world.

In the European Union, the challenge is different: our working-age population is getting smaller, and ageing puts pressure on our labour markets and welfare systems.

This contrast can be, in fact, an opportunity, if we work together. With partnerships, to match talent with jobs. With the right investments in education, skills, and mobility. Thats how we can turn demographic trends into a driver of shared prosperity.

The potential is huge. In the Southern Mediterranean, fewer than 50% of working-age people are active. For women, the figure is as low as 30%. In the EU nearly 75% of working-age people are active in the labour market, and labour shortages are getting worse. This gap shows both the urgency of reform and the magnitude of possible gains.

Important initiatives are already under way.

Earlier this year, the European Commission launched the Union of Skills, to strengthen cooperation on skills development, improve the recognition of qualifications, and support mobility across regions.

This weeks new Pact for the Mediterranean will offer a practical framework for cooperation to align our strategies and pool resources. But frameworks alone are not enough. What matters is implementation: how these initiatives translate into better education systems, stronger vocational training, meaningful apprenticeships, and real opportunities for young people.

We must support those most vulnerable: women, young people, and those in informal work. This is not only a matter of fairness. Inclusive labour markets are stronger and more resilient.

At the same time, encouraging entrepreneurship, the social economy, and innovation creates sustainable jobs, lifts people out of informality, and supports growth.

Finally, let us not underestimate the role of social dialogue. Next years Union for the Mediterranean Social Dialogue Forum will be a good opportunity to strengthen our partnerships with business and employee organisations.

Malta has long stood at the crossroads of the Mediterranean. It was here that Saint Paul, shipwrecked on his way to Rome, found shelter and hospitality.

This story carries a message for us today. In times of turbulence, when storms test our resilience, it is solidarity and cooperation that turn danger into opportunity.

Let this spirit guide us as we work together to build a Mediterranean where every young person can look to the future with confidence, where women participate fully and equally, where skills open doors to opportunity, and where jobs bring dignity and freedom.

This is the vision I would like us to take forward together.

Thank you.