Pact for the Mediterranean – One Sea, One Pact, One Future – a shared ambition for the region

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the European Commission and the High Representative set out a new ambitious strategy to strengthen EU relations with its Southern Mediterranean partners. Building on our historical and cultural ties, the Pact for the Mediterranean will focus on areas of mutual interest where we share challenges and aspirations.  

The Pact for the Mediterranean will step up cooperation and economic ties between the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. It will contribute to building a Common Mediterranean Space that is connected, prosperous, resilient and secure.

The Pact is built on the principles of co-ownership, co-creation and joint responsibility. It takes a practical approach, centred around concrete initiatives that will bring added value for people and economies on all shores of the Mediterranean. The goal is to create mutual benefits – from producing clean energy, to unlocking private investment. This will be achieved by mobilising regional projects that create opportunities for people and businesses alike, with a particular focus on youth, women, and small businesses.

In addition, the Pact also provides an opportunity to further advance our cooperation on security, preparedness and migration management. Areas of common interest such as maritime security, the resilience of our critical infrastructure and foreign interference are among the actions identified for stronger regional peace and security cooperation.

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. Existing technical and vocational education and training ecosystems will be also scaled up, while under a Heritage mechanism, the EU will promote cultural heritage, support artists, and revive tourism sustainably.
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. Partners will also work on integration of supply chains, including in the health and agriculture sectors, as well as on critical raw materials. An efficient, secure and trusted interconnection of digital infrastructures will bring economies and citizens closer while a more sustainable, and regenerative blue economy of the Mediterranean basin will be fostered.
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. Priority initiatives will include Mediterranean disaster preparedness and resilience. A whole-of-route approach to migration management will be promoted as well as a common approach to integrated border management and security, which will include operational partnerships to counter migrant smuggling. A regional forum for the EU and Southern Mediterranean countries on peace and security will be established.

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.

Next steps

The Pact is proposed for political endorsement by the EU and southern Mediterranean partners in November 2025 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona process.

The initiatives proposed under the Pact will be transposed into a dedicated Action Plan, which will specify the participating countries and stakeholders for each initiative. The initial Action Plan is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. The Action Plan will be a living document to which new initiatives can be added over time. Regional organisations, civil society, and youth organisations will be invited to support its implementation while EU institutions will be regularly kept informed about its roll-out.

Background

The Pact is the result of an extensive and inclusive consultation process that engaged a broad range of stakeholders, including southern Mediterranean partners, EU Member States and institutions, neighbouring countries in the wider region, as well as representatives from civil society, the private sector, academia, think tanks, and cultural and economic organisations.

In 1995 the Barcelona Process was launched following the signature of the Barcelona Declaration,  for multilateral cooperation with the Mediterranean. In 2021 the  Agenda for the Mediterranean, further deepened cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as  human development, governance, resilience, climate action, and inclusive economic growth. The related Economic and Investment Plan provided a starting point for how the EU can propose and follow up on concrete initiatives. Today’s Pact aims at continuing the work done in a more coordinated and systematic manner, establishing links to the overall policy framework with a stronger governance, concrete actions and co-ownership.