UfM Senior Officials meet in Brussels to advance new strategy and welcome Syria’s resumption of membership

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 ensuring alignment and close coordination between the UfM strategy and the Pact, so as to maximise synergies and impact across the region.

After 14 years of self-suspension, Syria resumed its participation and full membership to the UfM, by participating in the Senior Officials Meeting.  The resumption of Syria’s membership is expected to pave the way for constructive cooperation on shared regional priorities, supporting the country’s reconstruction and its reintegration into Euro-Mediterranean frameworks.

The meeting reaffirmed UfM’s commitment to strengthening its role as a platform for dialogue, cooperation, and collective action to address shared regional challenges.