
UfM Secretary General receives the Mayor of Barcelona
Barcelona, 8 July 2014. Today the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, held talks at the headquarters of the UfM Secretariat in Barcelona. They exchanged views on the current developments of the UfM projects and activities and discussed ways to advance the operational collaboration between the Secretariat and the City Council.
The UfM Secretary General expressed his gratitude for Barcelona’s strong support to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership in general, and to the UfM Secretariat in particular, as the institution’s host city. He stated that Barcelona is a dynamic city that has always played a unique role in the Mediterranean relations. The Mayor of Barcelona highlighted the importance that hosting the premises of the UfM Secretariat represents for the city, and reiterated the will of Barcelona to continue playing a central role in Euro-Mediterranean affairs as a Mediterranean Capital.
Both parties agreed on the importance of boosting operational cooperation to facilitate the ultimate goal of strengthening regional cooperation and integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Mayor Xavier Trias professed the city’s continued support to the UfM Secretariat, and added that it is ready to actively cooperate in UfM activities and projects that will further the work of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Barcelona was elected as the official headquarters of the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean on 4 November, 2008.