Dear President of the Region, Renaud Muselier,

Dear Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi,

Dear Jean-Noël Barrot,

Dear Badr Abdelatty,

Excellencies,

Dear participants and guests from all shores of the Mediterranean,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for inviting me to the Mediterranean Day of the United Nations Ocean Conference in beautiful Nice.

It is a great honour and pleasure to be with you today.

The Worlds Oceans cover two thirds of the earths surface.

More than 3 billion people depend on the marine and coastal ecosystems.

The Oceans generate 50 per-cent of the oxygen we breathe, and they absorb 25 per-cent of all CO₂ emissions.

The Mediterranean Sea is bordered by over 20 countries.

During the tourist season, the Mediterraneans coastline tends to easily double or triple the number of local inhabitants in some places.

With more than 400 ports and terminals, the Mediterranean accounts for approximately 30% of global maritime trade.

And, as all other Oceans, the Mediterranean provides food, jobs, and energy.

At the same time, the Mediterranean Sea faces a combination of challenges: Pollution from land sources, ships, litter, and waste.

It is also faced with overfishing, global warming, and coastal degradation.

However, the trans-boundary nature of the Mare Nostrum also does bring opportunities for all of us:

Increased co-operation around all shores can help boost sustainable economic development and a long-term conservation of the marine ecosystem.

This is why it is indispensable to have the United Nations Ocean Conference as an umbrella network for the conservation and sustainable use of the Oceans.

Europe is playing a strong role in this.

Last week, the Commission adopted the Ocean Pact with a steadfast commitment to sustainable ocean governance.

My colleague Costas Kadis will share our approach with you later today.

Todays celebration of the Day of the Mediterranean brings the focus of attention to a region which is of great importance for a prosperous future and joint sustainable development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Mediterranean is a shared space where we build on historical and cultural ties.

And there is a lot to gain for all of us from strengthened cooperation between the European Union and North Africa, the Middle East, and also including the Gulf countries.

This is why, for the first time, we have a dedicated portfolio for the Mediterranean in the European Commission – and I am proud and honoured to have been entrusted with this task.

My mission is to bring the partners around the Mare Nostrum closer together – the people and the economies.

Together we can achieve more.

And there is a lot of untapped potential.

My current priority is the work on the New Pact for the Mediterranean.

We have consulted the Member States, the partners countries, and stakeholders on how to best design our strengthened cooperation.

Think of the win-win scenarios for both sides in many areas of common interest.

We can work on renewable energies, clean tech, climate change mitigation, a sustainable blue economy, digital and transport connectivity, migration, and security.

The Pact - which I intend to present in the autumn - will work as an umbrella for

• bilateral comprehensive partnerships and
• regional cooperation between the European Union and the Mediterranean partners.

It will cover three main areas:

• People
• the economies, and  
• thirdly, peace, resilience, and security.

We are putting people first.

We want to strengthen human development through investments in higher education, connecting skills and creating jobs, promoting culture, sports, and tourism.

One key goal is to arrive at a Med Universities Network including a Mediterranean University with two campuses - one in the Southern Mediterranean and one in the European Union.

A prominent example of the strengthening of our economic and sustainable development ties is the Trans-Mediterranean Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative (T-MED).

We all have a lot to gain from closer energy cooperation in the Mediterranean region, especially in renewables.

All sides will benefit from decarbonisation, clean-tech, quality jobs, and of more security of energy supply.

We also want to develop stronger cooperation from a security angle and build resilience through external partnerships, for example to combat organised crime.

We need to

• fight the smugglers together along the irregular migration routes, and
• look for legal pathways for labour migration.

Another common priority is disaster preparedness.

On the aspect of peace, let me just very briefly single out Syria.

I visited the country last week.

The peaceful and inclusive transition is an incredibly challenging task.

There are, however, encouraging signs of early recovery, and there is an enormous will of the Syrian people to re-build their country.

It is my firm belief, that it is the duty of the European Union and the International Community as a whole to support this process during the current window of opportunity.

And I am very grateful to all international donors for their pledges at our latest Syria Conference in Brussels held by the European Union in March, where we gathered 5.9 billion Euro of pledges.

It was the first time we could have it together with the Syrians.

Peace and stability in the region are absolutely fundamental - and a pre-condition for prosperity and sustainable development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In times of global uncertainty, gives us a geo-strategic advantage to work together with like-minded partners on equal footing.

Your input, your expertise, and your experience are greatly fostering this sense of shared purpose today.

I wish you fruitful debates and insightful exchanges.

Thank you.