Dear Minister for Foreign and European Affairs,

Dear Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean,

Dear Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council,

Dear Nadim Houry,

Honourable guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to thank our hosts for organizing yet another Dubrovnik Forum – an established platform for international dialogue, providing space for reflection and debate.

It is a privilege to address you in my hometown Dubrovnik — a centre of diplomacy and exchange across the Mediterranean since the early 16^th century.

Dubrovnik has always been a bridge between cultures and peoples, and it can draw on its global merchant and seafaring tradition.

I think it is very fitting that it is here that we are speaking about the New Pact for the Mediterranean.

It will represent a new bridge between the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

“Connecting economies and empowering people” - the theme of this panel - must be at the heart of our strategic vision.

The Mediterranean has the potential to be a hub of innovation, trade, and inclusive growth.

It can be a space where cooperation drives prosperity, and where every community, from north to south, has the tools to thrive.

This years conference title “Channelling the Change” rests on the assumption that the international community continues to be in a period of profound geo-strategic and economic uncertainties. This is aggravated by ongoing wars in our immediate neighbourhood.

Uncertainties, however, are also times of opportunities.

In a changing world with

• security threats
• an erosion of the multilateral order, and
• the fading away of old alliances,

we can boost our resilience and geopolitical influence by strengthening the relations with our closest partners and neighbours.

This is the strategic approach of the European Union.

In this European Commission, we see our work through the lens of competitiveness and security.

In our global relations we want to be players, not only payers.

One fact to give you a better context – the European Union represents 16% of the global GDP.

At the same time, we are contributing more than 42% of the global aid budget.

And this was before the withdrawal of the US from many aid programmes.

To become stronger players, we as the Commission are putting a new emphasis on the southern Mediterranean.

There is a lot of win-win from strengthened cooperation between the European Union and North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf countries.

As we design the New Pact, we are also looking forward to the contributions of our neighbours from the Gulf.

I am happy to see with us the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Muhamed Al Budaiwi.

My mission is to intensify the cooperation with our southern partners – the people and the economies.

In this panel, many esteemed speakers will give their perspectives on how they see the New Pact for the Mediterranean, and how their countries or organisations can contribute.

Since the beginning of this new mandate in December, I have been working intensely on the Pact:

• We have an ongoing consultation process with all stakeholders – both from the European Union and the partner countries.

This panel, in fact, is an excellent place to discuss your ideas, and I am happy to take them with me to Brussels.

• The next step is the launch of the New Pact, which we are planning for October.

A key feature is joint ownership.

And it comes at a timely moment, as we are going to mark the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Process.

• And then we will swiftly move on to the implementation phase of the Pact – together.

Our approach is pragmatic and practical.

The Pact must be about visible initiatives and tangible results in key areas, such as trade, renewable energies, water resilience, digital and transport connectivity, skills and mobility, and also on legal migration.

Actions and initiatives consist of three main areas:

• First, we are putting people at the centre.

We want to invest in higher education, professional training, and jobs – and promote a common space for cultural exchange, sports, and tourism.

We want to create a Mediterranean University Network, and one day a true, joint Mediterranean University.

This will help lay the foundations for cutting-edge skills development across the entire region.

And I believe Croatia is well placed to play an active role in this initiative.

• Secondly, we want to unlock the full potential of our economies.

Through clean-tech projects such as the Trans-Mediterranean Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative, we can create the investments and quality jobs needed for sustainable prosperity and economic development.

The renewable energy potential in North Africa is enormous.

It is accessible, and it comes with some of the worlds lowest solar and wind power costs.

The New Pact is going to contain a lot of opportunities in the Southern Mediterranean for energy companies from both shores.

Our job now is to break the regulatory, financial, and infrastructural barriers.

We can increase our energy security, our autonomy, and ultimately the competitiveness of the European Union and our partner countries.

Let me briefly also draw on connectivity between the two shores.

We are improving energy and data infrastructure with flagship projects such as:

• the ELMED electricity link between Italy and Tunisia, and
• the MEDUSA digital submarine fibre cable.

In addition, we are supporting

• the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) between Israel, Cyprus, and Greece,
• the Greece-Egypt Interconnector (Gregy), aiming to transport clean energy from Egypt to Greece and Europe, and
• the H2MED project, a green hydrogen corridor linking Portugal, Spain, and France, with a potential extension to North Africa.

I am also glad to reaffirm our practical support for the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

• This involves investment in ports, energy transmission, and digital infrastructure - from India, Saudi-Arabia, The Emirates, Israel, and Jordan to Cyprus, Greece and Italy.

• Coming back to the third dimension of the Pact, we are also strengthening cooperation on migration management and security — from disaster preparedness to combatting migrant smuggling, and to maritime security, and I welcome the participation of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with its Director Maja Markovčić Kostelac in todays discussion.

We want to deliver on the ground by fighting terrorism and organised crime, while also preventing radicalisation.

We want to work towards legal pathways for labour migration and Talent Partnerships with our Southern Neighbours – without causing brain drain for our partners.

We want to help tackle the labour shortage. This is a real challenge that we are facing across the European Union.

Demography plays a key role for boosting our competitiveness.

The two shores of the Mediterranean are experiencing opposite demographic trends.

In North Africa, over half the population is under 24 years old and 63% are under 35.

We need to keep this in mind whilst increasing the domestic participation in the labour market of women and of all age groups. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

In our joint effort to strengthen cooperation and exchange around the Mare Nostrum, we count on established actors in the region.

Let me mention the Union for the Mediterranean.

Secretary General Kamel Nasser is with us today. It is the only international organisation that brings everyone around the Mediterranean to the table - including Türkiye and the Western Balkans Mediterranean partners.

I am committed to help strengthen the Union for the Mediterraneans impact for the benefit of all.

Med9, the platform of the Southern European Union Members, is a strong Mediterranean voice and includes the Adriatic dimension.

With MED9, we as the European Commission can build on these Member States experience and expertise on Mediterranean Affairs and the strategic priorities for the region.

And we count on Croatias leading role when assuming the Med9 Presidency next year, taking over from Slovenia.

Let us not forget the Three Seas Initiative - linking the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic regions - where Croatia is holding the Presidency as well.

The Three Seas Initiative has become a key driver of regional cohesion and connectivity, helping to bridge gaps and strengthen resilience across its Member States.

The strengthening of the cooperation around the Mediterranean indeed depends on dialogue and exchange of all actors.

This is why, I am very grateful for the opportunity to be with you today and to hear from all of you.

Thank you.