EU and Southern Mediterranean partners launch the " Pact for the Mediterranean "

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Ministers from EU Member States and Southern Mediterranean partner countries gathered in Barcelona to jointly launch the Pact for the Mediterranean: an historic moment for the EU's deeper cooperation with Mediterranean countries. The launch took place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a partnership that promotes cooperation and stability between the EU and Mediterranean countries, through shared initiatives. This is another major step toward a more stable, secure and prosperous Common Mediterranean Space.

Thirty years after the signature of the Barcelona Declaration, the EU and Southern Mediterranean partners have embarked on a new chapter of collective engagement.

Put forward by the European Commission and the High Representative on 16 October 2025, and welcomed by EU Member States at the Foreign Affairs Council of 20 November, the Pact confirms the Mediterranean region as a strategic priority for the EU. 

Three pillars

  1. People as a driving force for change, connections and innovation – This includes actions related to the promotion of higher education, vocational training, skills and jobs, youth and civil society empowerment, mobility, culture, tourism and sport, with a strong focus on youth. A Mediterranean University will be a flagship project under this pillar and will connect students from every shore of the Mediterranean. 
  2. Stronger, more sustainable and integrated economies – This includes actions related to the modernisation of trade and investment relations, boosting energy and clean technologies, water resilience, blue economy and agriculture, digital and transport connectivity, as well as job creation. In this context, a Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean Tech initiative (T-MED) and StartUp4Med will be among flagship projects of this pillar. 
  3. Security, preparedness and migration management – This includes actions on tackling common security challenges, increasing regional preparedness, and cooperating on a comprehensive approach to migration. 
The Pact is also open for engagement with partners beyond the Southern Mediterranean, including the Gulf, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Western Balkans as well as Türkiye. Stepping up cooperation between the EU, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Gulf region is a key objective of the Pact.

About Barcelona Process:

The Barcelona Process remains the only forum which allows a constructive dialogue that promotes the pursuit of political and socio-economic reform and the modernisation of the Mediterranean region.

Trade liberalization with the EU, with a view to establishing a free-trade area, has notably favoured exports and investment. However further and faster reforms are needed to achieve effective regional integration.

During the first summit of the Barcelona Process: a Union for the Mediterranean on 13 July 2008 in Paris, Heads of State and Government adopted a joint declaration ) following the main proposals of the Communication.

The purpose of this Communication is to improve the efficiency of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. In particular, the purpose of the new Union for the Mediterranean is to develop:

  • political cooperation;
  • the principle of co-ownership in multilateral relations;
  • regional and sub-regional projects that are more concrete and visible to the citizens of the region.

The Union has been enlarged to 43 States. This includes all the Member States of the European Union (EU), the European Commission, partner and observer countries of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Albania) as well as the other Mediterranean coastal States (Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro and Monaco).

The Union for the Mediterranean is a component of Community policies and programmes of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

Institutional Governance

The partnership is strengthened by the concern for balance and joint ownership. To this end, the Communication suggests:

  • biennial summits of Heads of Government;
  • a co-presidency, chaired by a representative of the European Union and a representative from a Mediterranean member country;
  • a Joint Permanent Committee for institutional governance, composed of representatives of EU Member States, Mediterranean partners and the European Commission;
  • a secretariat that ensures equal representation, composed of officials seconded from participants in the process, responsible for identifying, examining and following up on projects.

The role of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) as a framework for parliamentary dialogue and a consultative forum on the implementation of the partnership is thus reaffirmed.

About Barcelona Declaration and Euro-Mediterranean partnership: 

The Barcelona Declaration provides for periodic meetings of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Mediterranean partners and the EU. These Euro-Mediterranean Conferences are prepared by the Euro-Mediterranean Committee for the Barcelona process, which is also responsible for monitoring the process and the cooperation priorities.

It was adopted during Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference of 27 and 28 November 1995.

Objectives:

1. Political and security partnership: The first objective of the partnership is to promote the emergence of a common area of peace and stability in the Mediterranean. This objective is to be achieved through multilateral political dialogue, in addition to the bilateral dialogues provided for by the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements. 

2. Economic and financial partnership

The sustainable and balanced socio-economic development of the MNCs should lead to the establishment of an area of shared prosperity in the Mediterranean.

The reforms should enable the creation of Free Trade Areas (FTAs) which involves the gradual elimination of customs barriers (taxation and non-taxation) to trade in manufactured products. The partners also envisage a gradual liberalisation of agricultural products and services.

3. Social, cultural and human partnership

The partners cooperate with the aim of developing human resources, and promoting understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies.

Reference:

1. " EU and Southern Mediterranean partners launch the Pact for the Mediterranean in Barcelona " - European Commission

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