The UfM Secretariat and the City of Marseille team up to develop regional partnerships and projects in the Mediterranean

Barcelona, 1 December 2014. Mr Jean Roatta, Deputy Mayor of Marseille responsible for Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation, met Mr Fathallah Sijilmassi, the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) at the UfM headquarters. Ms Corinne Bernie, the Director of International Affairs of the City of Marseille, and Ms Delphine Borione, the Deputy Secretary General of the UfM, were also in attendance.

They discussed the avenues for cooperation between the UfM Secretariat and the City of Marseille, which is very active in promoting Euro-Mediterranean relations. Transport, economic development and employment, renewable energy, young people and sports, partnerships between local governments, and diasporas featured as the principal areas in which specific projects could be developed.

Mr Sijilmassi highlighted Marseille City Council’s constant dynamism, driven by Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin, in furthering Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

“The UfM wishes to work with all those local stakeholders involved in building links and exchanges between the region’s people and economies,” Mr Sijilmassi pointed out. “Marseille, a key agent in Mediterranean cooperation, is of course in a strategic and privileged position to develop our activities and initiatives.”

“In Marseille, we are determined to strengthen our links as part of the UfM, with a view to promoting common initiatives and specific actions on the ground,” said Jean Roatta.