On a new co-ownership for the future of Euro-Mediterranean relations – the Pact for the Mediterranean

(2026/2035(INI))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to the Final Declaration of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference of 27 and 28 November 1995 and its work programme,

–having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 16 October 2025 entitled ‘Pact for the Mediterranean: One Sea, One Pact, One Future’ (JOIN(2025)0026),

–having regard to the Council conclusions of 20 November 2025 on the Pact for the Mediterranean,

–having regard to the Pact for the Mediterranean Action Plan – Spring 2026,

–having regard to the report of the High-Level Advisory Group of October 2003 entitled ‘Dialogue Between Peoples and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean Area’,

–having regard to the UN Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP),

–having regard to the Arab Barometer Wave IX,

–having regard to its previous resolution on Euro-Mediterranean relations,

–having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

–having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A10-0000/2026),

A.whereas the Mediterranean is a shared political, economic and cultural space; whereas the Euro-Mediterranean dimension is a shared responsibility of the EU as a whole;

B.whereas the credibility and effectiveness of the EU’s engagement with its southern partners have been undermined by the perception of an inconsistent application of its principles;

C.whereas 30 years after the launch of the Barcelona Process, the priorities of multilateralism, co-ownership, civil society support, and people-to-people ties remain essential reference points;

D.whereas the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has undertaken a process of institutional reform and operational refocusing;

E.whereas the social partners are key actors in the implementation of the Pact for the Mediterranean, notably trade unions and chambers of commerce;

F.whereas the Pact must be anchored in a medium to long-term vision, aligned with the next multiannual financial framework;

G.whereas His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has called on the international community to remove the causes of despair and warned against turning the Mediterranean into ‘a graveyard where even hope dies’;

H.whereas the Ecclesial Coordination Office for the Mediterranean (COMED) was created at the initiative of Pope Francis in the wake of the MED23 Mediterranean Encounters held in Marseille in September 2023, as a body dedicated to fostering communion, peace and fraternity across the shores of the Mediterranean basin;

The Pact for the Mediterranean

1.Considers it essential to revive the active role of the people and civil society in order to rebuild dialogue, stability and peace in the Mediterranean region; stresses that the Mediterranean cannot remain a hotspot of conflicts and wars, and calls for a new phase based on the protagonism of people, civil society, businesses and local administrators as drivers of a renewed pact for dialogue and cooperation;

2.Believes that the Pact for the Mediterranean is an opportunity to renew and strengthen Euro-Mediterranean relations by betting on people in the face of divisions and the lack of ambition among governments, drawing lessons from the shortcomings of previous cooperation frameworks, and building this renewed partnership on co-ownership as its central principle, with its success depending on the genuine involvement of people, local and regional authorities, social partners and civil society organisations;

3.Shares the goal of revitalising the Mediterranean as a common space for cooperation and economic and cultural exchange, fostering growth, stability and peace;

4.Welcomes the appointment of the first ever European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, and the creation of a dedicated Directorate-General, which must now be followed by a coherent political focus and policy choices;

5.Supports the measures identified as priorities in the Action Plan; believes that all of its stages should reflect a coherent strategic approach that goes beyond a mere list of actions;

6.Underlines that, for the Pact for the Mediterranean to be a success, the people of the Mediterranean region must ultimately enjoy its benefits; reiterates the need for a strong focus on democracy, the rule of law, human rights and transparency;

7.Recognises the crucial role of local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations, academia and the private sector; believes that a strong implementation of the Pact’s objectives requires moving from mere consultation to true multilevel governance;

Institutional and political challenges

8.Believes that Parliament must play a central role in overseeing the implementation of the Pact, particularly in monitoring the coherence between policy goals and the proposed measures;

9.Calls on the Commission to ensure that future Action Plan updates are preceded by structured dialogues with partner countries and Parliament;

10.Insists that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) be given a substantive and enhanced role in overseeing the implementation of the Pact;

11.Welcomes the proposed establishment of a Youth Parliamentary Assembly for the Mediterranean; encourages the anchoring of this youth assembly within the framework of the PA-UfM;

12.Underlines the importance of fostering South-South links and strengthening regional dialogue;

13.Insists that adequate funding for the Euro-Mediterranean partnership must be secured in the next multiannual framework, and that the Pact’s level of ambition will ultimately be judged by the resources allocated to it;

People

14.Warmly welcomes the Mediterranean University initiative, stresses that academic cooperation is most effective through physical presence and direct interaction, and considers that a network of twinning arrangements represents the most credible instrument to this end;

15.Recalls that study visas represent a limited and manageable share of migration flows when embedded in structured cooperation with local authorities and universities;

16.Invites the Commission and the Member States to expand South-South and intra-Mediterranean mobility through a fast-track Euromed Visa programme and a reformed Erasmus+ programme;

17.Proposes the establishment of a formal Civil Society Advisory Mechanism linked to the Pact’s governance structure;

More sustainable and integrated economies

18.Supports the modernisation of trade relations and the boosting of investment flows through new forms of agreement, especially for sectors with high mutual benefits;

19.Notes that the Mediterranean region holds vast untapped potential in solar, wind, and green hydrogen that must be developed as a strategic pool for regional energy security, contributing to the green transition through renewable energy, network interconnections, storage infrastructure, and energy efficiency;

20.Stresses the importance of the blue economy as a key driver of sustainable development and job creation in the Mediterranean;

21.Highlights the need for the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean-Tech Cooperation Initiative (T-MED) to shift cooperation from episodic engagement to a structured pipeline of projects;

Preparedness and migration management

22.Highlights the fact that the Pact represents an opportunity to advance towards a Euro-Mediterranean mobility space in a new and cross-cutting manner, supporting achievements in the areas of economic cooperation, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, youth, students, and academic and scientific cooperation;

23.Calls for a constructive approach to regular migration, with a sustained focus on talent and people development, in cooperation with the private sector;

24.Calls for a comprehensive response to address both immediate operational needs and long-term structural factors;

25.Emphasises that migration is a multidimensional phenomenon that must be addressed through a comprehensive, rights-based and human-centred approach;

26.Reiterates the value of human life in light of the thousands of people who have lost their life or are missing as a result of the activities of smuggling and human trafficking networks; proposes that the Commission undertake a search effort and launch an initiative to restore the ‘right to a name’ for the victims in the Mediterranean, as an act of dignity for all human beings and a warning for future generations;

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27.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High-Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President of the PA-UfM, the Secretary General of the UfM, and the Southern Mediterranean members of the UfM.