News

A high-level mission on Agriculture, Agri-food, and Food Security to Egypt was held in January 2023, as a follow-up on the Mediterranean Ministerial Dialogue on the Food Crisis of December 2022, co-chaired by Italy, Turkey, and Lebanon, at the margins of the Rome MED Dialogue. It was led by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini. A meeting was also organized with Egyptian President Abdel Fatha El-Sisi as well as Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly. The goal was to support the PRIMA initiative, by scaling… read more

16 December 2022. Barcelona and Piran. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) have recently concluded the webinar series “Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean Region”, which promoted the recently endorsed UfM Agendas on Research and Innovation as a tool for scientific cooperation in the Mediterranean . The first webinar kicked off on 12 December with ‘Scientific Cooperation for Sustainable Regional Development’  open to all R&I stakeholders in the Mediterranean. Alvaro Albacete Perea, Deputy Secretary General for Higher Education and Research at the UfM and Prof. Dr. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, the EMUNI President inaugurated the… read more

The UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment convened its fourth meeting by videoconference to discuss areas of priority ahead of the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the UfM Trade Ministers in October 2023 in Spain. 19 December 2022. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean held today the fourth meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment in an online format. During the meeting, they discussed priorities under three main headline topics of Sustainable Trade, Sustainable Investment and Regional Integration. The meeting of the Platform was chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency; the European Commission (DG TRADE)… read more

Algiers, 15 December 2022 – The Union for the Mediterranean organized a Workshop on “Green Economy Promotion: how to make green economy work for sustainable development and regional integration?” in Algiers on 15 December in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry of Algeria and with the support of GIZ. This event, that brought together over 100 participants representing a wide range of relevant stakeholders coming from different UfM countries, aimed at discussing three axes as follows: The importance of green economy in terms of sustainable economic development, fight against climate change and environment protection, job creation and developmental gap reduction. The… read more

More than a hundred participants including women entrepreneurs, experts and civil society representatives gathered in Madrid on 30 November to discuss ways to strengthen the role of women in the tech field in the face of the gender disparities within this sector. The event also celebrated three prominent women in their own sector, by awarding them with three different categories’ prizes: Tech Leader Award, Tech Entrepreneur Award, and Social Tech Award. The event provided networking opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean region. Madrid, 30 November 2022. Co-organised by Womenpreneur Initiative with UfM, EBSOMED, and CAWTAR, the “Mediterranean Tech Women… read more

14 December 2022, Barcelona. As part of the NEMAUSUS project, which brings together 7 EU countries, a meeting aimed at bringing together and fifteen experts in forest fires, called “Reference group” was held on December 14 at the UfM, which supports this project. Funded by DG ECHO, it aims to prefigure the creation of future thematic centres on natural and technological risks in Europe, the first of which, dedicated to forest fires, will be created in France. The southern countries will be associated with these centres of expertise through civil protection and existing entities (research centers, universities, training centres, etc.) in… read more

The Union for the Mediterranean and the European Investment Bank have signed an agreement this year starting training activities in Mediterranean Universities. With the support of the UfM, the EIB is bringing high-level financial expertise outside of the European Union. Barcelona, 1 December. The Union for the Mediterranean and the European Investment Bank have started working together to bring trainings on the EuroMediterranean multilateral policy frameworks, and EU project financing mechanisms to pilot Mediterranean Universities. After the signature of a dedicated agreement, the two institutions have opened discussion with three initial pilot universities, bringing for the first time dedicated trainings… read more

After its launch in 2021, 28th of November 2022, a new Day of the Mediterranean was celebrated, recognising Mediterranean culture, cooperation and embracing the rich diversity of the region. A multitude of events and initiatives focused on music were held across the region to celebrate this second edition. A concert of the Arab Orchestra of Barcelona and the singer Judit Neddermann on November 26th was the central event of the Day of the Mediterranean in Barcelona, organized by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in cooperation with local authorities. The Anna Lindh Foundation coordinated civil society organisations from… read more

Today, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered in Barcelona for the 7h UfM Regional Forum, held in the framework of the Day of the Mediterranean. Foreign Affairs Ministers unanimously endorsed a declaration on the accession of North Macedonia to the Union for the Mediterranean. Young people coming from civil society organizations from across the Euro-Mediterranean region, presented their expectations and recommendations to the Foreign Affairs Ministers with a view to developing concrete solutions for a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous Mediterranean. Ministers approved the launch of the regional initiative “Mediterranean Capitals of Culture”. Two… read more

6-20 November 2022, Sharm El-Sheik. For the first time in the Conference of the Parties’ (COP) history, the 27th edition hosted a Mediterranean Pavilion. The initiative was conceived by the UfM to highlight both the urgent challenges the Mediterranean is currently facing, and the innovative solutions already being developed, raising awareness of a region overlooked in the climate negotiations. Located in the COP27 Blue zone, the Mediterranean Pavilion hosted more than 60 events and working meetings, and provided an exceptional opportunity for the region to talk and act as one, bridging the voices of public and private, scientific and academic, technical, policymaking, civil society, finance, and business actors. In an innovative… read more