Barcelona: Europe and the Arabs

All eyes are on Barcelona, ​​Spain, today, Friday, as the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) hosts its 10th Regional Forum under the theme "Together for a Stronger Euro-Mediterranean Partnership," 30 years after the launch of the Barcelona Process, which laid the foundations for Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and cooperation.

The ministerial meeting will be co-chaired by Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, and European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuycka. It will be hosted by Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Álvarez, with the participation of UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel.

A European statement issued in Brussels indicated that High Representative Kaja Kallas traveled to Barcelona on Thursday, accompanied by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuycka, where she will co-chair the launch of the Mediterranean Charter at the ministerial level, with the participation of EU member states and Southern Mediterranean partners.

This launch coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration. The launch of the Charter in Barcelona will be followed by the 10th Union for the Mediterranean Regional Forum, which will bring together the foreign ministers of the European Union and the Mediterranean region.

The Forum celebrates three decades of collective commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Mediterranean, while reaffirming the shared vision of a stronger and more resilient partnership to address pressing current challenges, including inequality, unemployment, the rising cost of living, declining opportunities, and the increasing impacts of climate change and water stress.

The ministerial segment of the Regional Forum, scheduled for today, November 28, will bring together foreign ministers to discuss the most pressing challenges in the region—including the worrying situation in the Middle East—and to adopt a new strategic vision for the Union for the Mediterranean.

The new vision, developed through an extensive consultative process, is centered around three key dimensions: connecting people through education, mobility, skills, and inclusion; connecting countries through dialogue, climate resilience, and energy and water security; and connecting economies through trade, investment, infrastructure, and digital cooperation.

The Forum will also address the challenges of the current situation, including the increasing impacts of climate change and water stress. A high-level event to launch the EU Pact for the Mediterranean is also being held on the sidelines of the regional forum, as the pact is expected to receive political support from the EU and its partners in the southern Mediterranean.