News

14 July 2025, Dubrovnik. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, took part in the Dubrovnik Forum held on 11 July 2025 in Croatia. He joined the panel discussion titled “Connecting Economies, Empowering People: The New Pact for the Mediterranean”, alongside Dubravka Šuica, European Commission Commissioner for the Mediterranean; Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council; Ante Šušnjar, Minister of Economy of Croatia; Marko Štucin, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and Maja Markovčić Kostelac, Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency. The session focused on strengthening regional cooperation, advancing… read more

9 July 2025, Barcelona. Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretary General Nasser Kamel today welcomed European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, for a working visit to the UfM headquarters in Barcelona. The meeting served to deepen collaboration between the UfM and the European Commission and to further align efforts in promoting a shared Mediterranean agenda. Discussions centred on the forthcoming new UfM strategy and the EU Pact for the Mediterranean. Secretary General Kamel expressed appreciation for the European Commission’s continued support, highlighting the EU’s vital role in enabling the UfM to deliver concrete results in political dialogue, policy coordination,… read more

Brussels, 8 July 2025. Senior Officials from the Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered today in Brussels for a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) focused on advancing the organisation’s new strategic framework for the coming years. The new UfM strategy is expected to be formally adopted in November 2025 during the UfM Regional Forum in Barcelona, where Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean will convene to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a landmark initiative for structured Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. During the meeting, Member States also discussed the EU Pact for the Mediterranean. Senior Officials underlined the importance of… read more

9 June 2025, Nice. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, took part in the Summit for a Connected Mediterranean held today in Nice. Organised under the auspices of the President of the French Republic, the summit gathered 21 heads of state and government from Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Gulf to strengthen cooperation on land, maritime, and digital connectivity. Key regional organisations such as the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council and major development banks including the EBRD, EIB, and World Bank were also in attendance alongside the UfM. Secretary General Kamel emphasised the UfM’s… read more

16 May 2025, Barcelona. The Union for the Mediterranean was honoured with a Creu de Sant Jordi (‘Sant George’s Cross’), one of the Catalan government’s highest distinctions, in an award ceremony last night at Catalonia’s National Art Museum (MNAC) in Barcelona. This recognition was granted for the UfM’s “outstanding work in promoting cooperation and dialogue among Mediterranean countries.” The UfM was among the 21 individuals and 10 organisations who were recognised this year for their exceptional civic and cultural impact in Catalonia. Headquartered in Barcelona, the UfM strengthens ties between Euro-Mediterranean countries to address common challenges including climate change, gender… read more

4 April 2025, Granada. Union for the Mediterranean Secretary General Nasser Kamel reiterated the need for strengthened Euro-Mediterranean cooperation at the Forum on the Future of the Mediterranean in the Andalusian city of Granada. Organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the UfM, the two-day event brought together speakers, deputy speakers and representatives of the parliaments of the organisation’s 43 Member States as well as the European Parliament and organisations such as NATO, OSCE, IPU or the Council of Europe. With opening speeches by Spain’s HM King Felipe VI and Speaker of the Congress of Deputies Francina… read more

Barcelona, 14 February 2025. In anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a landmark Euro-Mediterranean initiative to bring the region’s countries together to address common challenges, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered more than 120 institutional and civil society actors as well as senior officials from the organisation’s 43 Member States over three days to provide inputs on how to strengthen regional cooperation with a view to redefining it for the years to come. Against the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East and other critical issues such as alarming climate trends and widening socioeconomic disparities,… read more

The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Nasser Kamel gave a keynote address at the conference entitled “30 years of the Barcelona Process: Towards a New Euro-Mediterranean Policy,” held on 27 January and hosted by the President of the Parliament of Catalonia. The event, co-organized by the Catalan European Movement and the European Institute of the Mediterranean, brought together Members of the European Parliament, as well as experts and speakers from various institutions. In his speech, the UfM Secretary General Kamel recalled that the Barcelona Process was a bold and visionary initiative to transform the Mediterranean region… read more

23 January 2025, Brussels – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Nasser Kamel visited Brussels on January 22 and 23, where he held meetings with the newly appointed EU HR/VP and UfM Co-President Kaja Kallas, and the Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica. He also addressed the Plenary Session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood. In their meeting, HR/VP Kallas and SG Kamel discussed the future of the Euro-Mediterranean region ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. SG Kamel underlined the UfM’s role as the leading multilateral… read more

4-5 December 2024, Larnaca. Cyprus. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European University Cyprus (EUC) signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest, notably in the field of civil protection and disaster risk management. The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the Nicosia Risk Forum 2025, held in Larnaca, Cyprus, with UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, and EUC Rector, Professor Andreas Efstathiou, representing their respective institutions. This agreement aims to foster collaboration through initiatives including official visits and expert exchanges, joint projects and consultations, seminars and workshops, the exchange… read more