The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia met today in Lisbon to discuss the future prospects for the Western Mediterranean cooperation.
Barcelona, 22 May 2014. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Fathallah Sijilmassi, participated in the 12th Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 5+5 Dialogue member countries, which took place today in Lisbon.
The meeting provided an opportunity to debate regional issues and analyse the common challenges and opportunities of cooperation among the ten countries of the Western Mediterranean. Discussions focused on the areas of security and stability, social and economic sustainable development, as well as environment and climate change.
The final adopted declaration praises the key role of the Union for the Mediterranean to reinforce regional and sub-regional cooperation through the implementation of projects and initiatives, the progress of the work carried out by the Secretariat, as well as its contribution to the economic and social development of the region. Ministers stressed on the importance of ensuring the complementarity of the actions of the 5+5 Dialogue and the UfM Secretariat. They also welcomed the sectorial ministerial meetings held under the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean.
On the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting, Secretary General Sijilmassi held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 5+5 Dialogue countries. He was accompanied by his deputies, Claudio Cortese and Teresa Ribeiro.
Second Economic Forum of the Western Mediterranean: towards a strengthened regional economic integration
More than 400 business leaders and high-level representatives of major enterprises and economic institutions from Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia gathered in the Portuguese capital Lisbon yesterday for the Second Economic Business Forum of the Western Mediterranean in the framework of the 5+5 Dialogue.
The central theme of the event, aimed to promote dialogue and strengthen economic cooperation between the countries of the region, was sustainable development, structured around four strategic pillars: water, environment, infrastructure and financing. The forum provided a space for reflection and discussion about the economic challenges of each country and the opportunities of cooperation in joint projects or initiatives.
Paulo Portas, Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal, gave a keynote speech during the forum’s inaugural session. He reaffirmed Portugal’s full support to this informal but dynamic and efficient process and stressed the importance of the UfM’s role for its consolidation.
Addressing the audience during the opening session, UfM Secretary General Fathallah Sijilmassi affirmed: “The UfM stands today as an operational platform to promote regional integration by fostering coordination efforts and drawing on the synergies with and between governments, institutions and stakeholders of the region. In this respect, the 5+5 Dialogue represents an enhanced cooperation scheme whose actions naturally respond to a global Mediterranean objective.”
He underlined the importance of the launch of the 5+5 Business Council under the framework of the agreement signed between the ten employers’ associations during the Forum of Barcelona.
The first edition of the Economic Forum of the Western Mediterranean took place last October 2013, at the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean, in Barcelona.
The first edition of the Economic Forum of the Western Mediterranean took place last October 2013, at the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean, in Barcelona.
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