Today the College of Commissioners approved our Pact for the Mediterranean. For millennia, the Mediterranean has been a bridge between continents. For people, goods and ideas. These exchanges have shaped who we are and how we live. The truth is that Europe and the Mediterranean cannot exist without each other. And today, the future of our two shores is more connected than ever before. In an increasingly competitive and contested global economy, our economic ties with our Southern neighbours have already grown stronger. Trade between the European Union and the rest of Mediterranean has increased by over 60% in just 5 years. Our value chains are more and more interconnected. So, the time is ripe for deeper integration. We should simplify making business between us. We should create new ties between our industries, our universities, our institutions. This is why today we are making a clear offer to our neighbours. Let us create a Common Mediterranean Space, with the goal of progressive integration between us. This is the essence of the Pact for the Mediterranean.
The Pact is the result of almost a year of dialogue and intense engagement with our neighbours. It is a Pact between partners. It focuses on three main pillars. The first pillar – the heart of our work – is people. The second is the economy. And the third is the link between security, preparedness and migration. For each pillar, we have identified initiatives that will deliver real change on the ground – more than 100 concrete ideas and actions. From creating a Mediterranean University, to connecting our cultural institutions and civil societies. From building AI factories across the Mediterranean, to a new initiative for Mediterranean start-ups. From managing migration together, to the new European Firefighting Hub in Cyprus. And the list is much longer. The focus is on getting things done. These initiatives will form an action plan, to be agreed with our 10 Southern neighbours. Because, to quote a proverb that is shared across the region: "Actions speak louder than words".
On the European side, we will mobilise our financial instruments in a Team Europe approach. And crucially, we will leave no stone unturned to mobilise private investments. We also want to step up triangular cooperation, in particular with Gulf countries. Working with them is essential on projects like the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor.
This is a very special moment for the Mediterranean but also for Europe as both share a common future of peace and cooperation often during unimaginable pain and loss. The devastating war in Gaza has finally come to an end marking a pivotal moment not only for Gaza but also for the European Union and the wider Mediterranean marking the moment when future of the region is being rewritten. Europe has a stake in shaping a future of peace and prosperity. Because this is our common region. And we want to play our part as partners. It is our commitment to our shared Mediterranean home.
