UfM Secretary General highlights the need to build on momentum given to UfM over the past years

Warsaw, 18 June. The UfM Secretary General, Fathallah Sijilmassi, gave a lecture today at the public ceremony marking the end of the academic year at the Natolin Campus of the College of Europe in Warsaw.

In front of an audience comprising Natolin students, faculty members, diplomats based in Warsaw as well as Polish officials, the UfM Secretary General based his address on the main existing challenges in the region, their interrelated nature and the consequent need to adopt a comprehensive and balanced approach to Euro-Mediterranean partnership in order to tackle them in a consistent manner. In this regard, he called for drawing on past experience and building on existing successful instruments.

During the lecture, the UfM Secretary General highlighted that “the Mediterranean is an area of fantastic economic opportunities, an area of great potential for increased growth and competitiveness for the countries of the southern rim, as well as for the EU itself”. He added, “Regional cooperation must address the priority needs for the youth in our countries, namely employment and education”.

In this sense, the UfM is working to reinforce ties and advance operational collaboration with Euro-Mediterranean universities and academic centres.