The Union for the Mediterranean backs regional and local authorities’ strategy for a sustainable territorial development of the Mediterranean basin

Monday 4 February 2019 – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, attended this afternoon the signing ceremony of the declaration launching the #MedCooperationAlliance, a new strategy put in place by long-standing local and regional partners of the UfM to promote the sustainable and integrated territorial development of the Mediterranean basin.

Signed by the regions of the Intermediterranean Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), the Euro-Région Pyrénées-Méditerranée, the Adriatic Ionian Euroregion and the networks of local authorities MedCities and Arco Latino, this declaration calls stakeholders active in the Euro-Mediterranean region to redouble their efforts towards better integrated macro-regional strategies and stronger cooperation instruments, in order to build a common, more cohesive and co-owned Euro-Mediterranean region.

This signing ceremony took place in the framework of an international seminar held in Barcelona under the theme “The future of the Mediterranean region: integrating strategies for sustainable development and cohesion after 2020”, aimed at reinforcing the role of regional cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean policies and agenda.

UfM Secretary General opened the seminar, alongside Alfred Bosch, Conseller for Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Christos Bounias, Deputy of the Governor of the Region Dytiki Ellada (Western Greece), and  Pilar Costa i Serra, Advisor to the Presidency of the Government of Balearic Islands. During his address, Kamel highlighted the growing need of ‘localizing’ policies and the importance of working in synergy with regional and local authorities in order to effectively enhance Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and integration.

“Regions remain a unique asset for our societies to achieve our common goals of stability, development and regional integration, as they are one of the closest levels of action to citizens. Working with territories translates to empowering local communities and putting the citizens at the heart of our action” said Secretary General Kamel. “This gives us the opportunity to work with the people for the people, and ensure prosperity of all.”