15 April 2026, Online. The 10th UfM Working Group on Environment meeting held online on 15 April brought together delegates from the 43 UfM countries and partner organisations to review developments and set priorities for the year ahead while fostering peer learning and regional cooperation. Participants reviewed recent international and Euro‑Mediterranean environmental developments, assessed progress under the 2030GreenerMed Agenda, and exchanged on national priorities, needs and opportunities for cooperation. The session featured the presentation of a proposed update to the 2030GreenerMed narrative and the upcoming publication on the UfM Website of the 2nd UfM Results‑Based GreenerMed Monitoring Report. Chaired by… read more
20 – 22 April 2026, Barcelona. The 19th UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy, held at the UfM in Barcelona, brought together UfM countries, observers and key Mediterranean stakeholders to advance regional cooperation on the sustainable blue economy, with discussions focusing on implementation, investment opportunities such as the Blue Med Partnership and new regional initiatives, including the Eastern Mediterranean sea-basin strategy. The meeting focused on the implementation of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy and its Roadmap, while addressing emerging regional priorities and opportunities. Discussions covered updates on the EU Ocean Pact and the Med Pact, ongoing and… read more
The Mediterranean is warming 20% faster than the global average, intensifying climate-related anomalies such as droughts, extreme heat, floods and ecosystem disruption, and threatening water, food and energy security for over 500 million people. Ahead of World Water Day 2026, UfM Member States adopted three landmark regional strategies – on the WEFE Nexus, Water Finance and Digital Transformation of the water sector – setting a shared course for the Euro-Mediterranean region through to 2030. Barcelona, 19 March 2026 – The Mediterranean is warming faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. Droughts that came once in a generation now arrive almost… read more
27 January 2026, online. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), together with IUCN and MedPAN, co-organised the webinar “Addressing Restoration of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems in the Mediterranean: Building Together for a Common Goal”. The event brought together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and regional stakeholders to discuss how ecosystem restoration can respond to the Mediterranean’s growing climate and biodiversity challenges. The Mediterranean is warming around 20% faster than the global average, and many ecosystems are under pressure: half of natural wetlands and roughly one-third of posidonia meadows have disappeared over the past 50 years. Participants emphasised that restoring marine and coastal… read more
Barcelona, 5-6 November 2025 – The 15th Meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Water (RPWater-15) brought together UfM Member States, regional partners and stakeholders at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona to advance the implementation of the UfM Water Agenda and prepare the ground for the Second UfM Ministerial Meeting on Water, scheduled for 24-25 March 2026 in Rome, Italy. The meeting was organised back-to-back with the Kick-Off Meeting of the 6th Mediterranean Water Forum, co-organised with IME (Institut Méditerranéen de l’Eau) and ONE Water Committee Italy, reinforcing synergies between policy dialogue and multi-stakeholder engagement at regional level. RPWater-15 was… read more
Cairo, 13-14 October 2025. The 6th EU–UfM Annual Conference on Water Finance and Investment in Cairo, the largest-ever gathering on water finance in the Mediterranean, has called for stronger engagement from commercial and development banks to accelerate investments in water resilience across the region. Organised jointly by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European Commission in the framework of Cairo Water Week, the Conference has firmly established itself as the leading regional platform to address financing challenges in the water sector. This year’s edition brought together nearly 50 speakers and over 200 participants from governments, financial institutions, international organisations and civil society to… read more
26 June 2025, Brussels — The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) successfully concluded the 2nd Mediterranean Green Week (24–26 June 2025, Brussels), where policymakers, experts, youth leaders, and stakeholders from across the Euro-Mediterranean region gathered to reaffirm their commitment to a just and inclusive green transition. Key highlights included the announcement of the first-ever UfM Energy & Climate Action Youth Delegates, empowering young leaders to help shape climate and energy policy, drive innovation, and co-create solutions for a just energy transition. High-level sessions and working groups covered critical topics such as clean energy transition, regional energy security, climate adaptation and… read more
Charting the path towards sustainable blue economy: the Mediterranean leading the way, a Union for the Mediterranean-led event on the region’s role in advancing the sustainable use of marine resources to promote socioeconomic development, took place today at the UNOC3 Mediterranean Day in Nice. Government officials, development agencies, regional networks, private sector actors, and civil society showcased innovative financing mechanisms, cutting-edge technologies and replicable initiatives. Spain formally signed an €8.5M contribution to the Blue Mediterranean Partnership (BMP), a multi-donor fund promoted by the UfM that mobilises investments in sustainable blue economy projects in the Southern Mediterranean and Red Sea areas…. read more
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most plastic polluted areas in the world. The leakage of plastics into the sea is likely to double by 2040 if waste management is not radically improved. Studies also suggest that if current trends continue, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea in 25 years’ time. Approximately 730 tonnes of plastic waste are released into the Mediterranean daily. This is not only a pressing environmental issue, but a socioeconomic and public health challenge as well since plastic pollution is a vector for invasive species, it accumulates in the form of… read more
The Euro-Mediterranean region’s few remaining glaciers have retreated significantly in recent years, be it in the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, or Balkan peninsula. Their existence is precarious as many could disappear completely in the coming decades. Melting glaciers on our warming planet are linked to flooding, landslides, sea level rise and droughts. Glaciers are key to healthy ecosystems, but uncertain water flows from rapidly melting ice can negatively impact people and the environment. In a region plagued with water scarcity and quality issues and where the population classified as water poor is expected to increase to more than 250 million by… read more
