The UfM Participates at the third plenary session of ARLEM in Bari

Barcelona- The Acting Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Dr. Lino Cardarelli took part of the ARLEM Third Plenary Session, which was held in Bari, Italy. The meeting was attended by several delegations, representing different regions, and institutions, focused on enhancing cooperation policies in the Mediterranean region, stemming from recent developments in the institutional layout of a number of Mediterranean countries involved in regionalisation processes.

During his intervention which was dedicated to the territorial dimension of the Union for the Mediterranean, Dr. Cardarelli highlighted the need to promote the implementation of concrete actions at local and regional levels, and called upon all the actors to contribute actively to creating jobs, fighting poverty, and focusing developmental projects. He also presented the actions that have been undertaken so far by the Secretariat, especially at liaising with the private sector, and the several initiatives which aim at contributing to the new regional scenarios and provide solutions. The Acting Secretary General stressed that the UfM is ready to work with ARLEM, local actors and institutions to promote more projects that have tangible impact on people, in order to achieve the main mandate of the UfM in promoting stability and development in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Sustainability was also a key subject of the initiatives undertaken by the ARLEM members to enlarge the Covenant of Mayors to the Southern Mediterranean, aimed at including regions and cities of this strategic area in the joint commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by the year 2020.

The plenary session was chaired by ARLEM co-presidents Mercedes Bresso, president of the Committee of the Regions, and Mohamed Boudra, president of the region of Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate (Morocco).

The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) is a consultative assembly which aims at bringing a regional and local dimension to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It gathers 84 Members from the EU and its 16 Mediterranean partners who are representatives of regions and local bodies holding a regional or local authority mandate.