On Friday 28 November, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, welcomed the definitive endorsement of the reform process of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), which will enable it to equip itself with the instruments and capacity necessary for deeper regional coordination.
Albares took advantage of his speech before the representatives of the 43 member countries in the plenary session to emphasise that the reform will promote the role of the UfM as a forum for structured regional dialogue and will enable this Barcelona-based organisation to play a key role in the coordination and implementation of some of the flagship projects of the new Pact for the Mediterranean.
The minister detailed Spain's commitment to this reform, which will take the form of support for the UfM, increasing its contribution to the budget to €400,000 and providing an additional €1 million for cooperation actions carried out by the UfM with the support of the AECID. In addition, Spain has signed a new Headquarters Agreement, which will help the UfM to improve the performance of its functions from Barcelona.
Among these functions, Albares highlighted the priority of bringing peace and justice to the Middle East together with European and Mediterranean partners. In this regard, he recalled that the UfM is the only body in which Israel and Palestine participate on an equal footing and that it is therefore an instrument for contributing to making the Mediterranean a region of peace, security and shared prosperity.
Prior to this meeting, on Thursday 27 November, the minister had already had the opportunity to welcome participants at a preliminary meeting at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), where he emphasised the importance of this event in enabling the exchange of views on the reality of the region, listening to and coordinating proposals, and reinforcing the common commitment to peace and stability. And on Friday, the forum was preceded by the presentation of the European Union's new Pact for the Mediterranean.
Barcelona Process
This new edition of the Forum comes in a year that marks the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process and at a crucial time for the launch of the Mediterranean agenda. In this regard, the Minister recalled the intense Mediterranean activity resulting from the relaunch of the Mediterranean partnership, with the reform of the UfM and the implementation of the Pact for the Mediterranean, and went on to reiterate that the new reforms adopted will strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean voice and increase the impact of the member countries' actions in favour of Euro-Arab dialogue and cooperation.
The two intense days will culminate in a concert for Mediterranean Day on the evening of Friday 28th at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. In this context, Minister Albares is committed to ensuring that Mediterranean music serves as inspiration to redouble efforts to make the Mediterranean a true space of peace, rights and prosperity.
For pictures of the event, click here
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