The session entitled “Towards a renovated Regional Strategy for the Mediterranean” served to extend and consolidate this new network of regional actors which aims to implement successful multi-level governance instruments as key assets for true transnational cooperation.

One of the main topics discussed by key actors was the resilience and recovery from the COVID-19 crisis in the Mediterranean basin, with the attention focused on the need of a better integration of solutions at territorial levels.

From MedCities, the President and Mayor of Tetouan, Mr. Mohamed Idaomar took the floor to underline the importance of this forum that allowed city representatives to have a space for the debate. “The main thing is to present together the route map in which we have been working to accomplish the challenges that await us in the near future, and now more than ever with the COVID19 pandemic scenario“.

MedCities’ President also underlined the importance of the collaboration between cities and both shores contacts: “It is no longer useful to work only looking at our local challenges, now we have to think of our neighbours in a Mediterranean scale and in a future and post-COVID19 basin”.

From her side, Mme. Imen Ouardani, vice-Mayor of Sousse, a MedCities member, stressed the importance of international cooperation, “which plays a crucial role in the local development of cities, especially cities that are on the path to democratization”. Mme. Ouardani also said: “The development of peer-to-peer learning, the sharing of good practices and experiences allow the development of innovative ideas. It is important to develop the strategy and put in place actions and bring together, identify good practices, create synergies to achieve the objectives of sustainable development. Thanks to the MedCities Network and thanks to the Mediterranean Cooperation Alliance, we could learn from new experiences. We need to expand to provide expertise in certain areas. It is important to strengthen the multi-level dialogue in the Mediterranean countries in order to put in place the transfer of knowledge”.

The meeting also count with the representatives from the other MedCoopAlliance network associations and we could heard Mr. Xavier Bernard-Sans Euroregion Pyrenees Mediterranean Director, the President of the Adriatic Ionian Region, Mr.Nikola Dobroslavić and Nello Musumenci, president of Sicily acting as IMC-CPMR President . 

From MedCities, secretary general Mr. Josep Canals made a summary of the key points and challenges the MedCoopAlliance is working on: “The MedCoopAllinace demonstrates the importance of the “pan-Mediterranean” cooperation, by coordinating multilevel governance and capitalization of projects and knowledge. We all share the European Green Deal, the SDGs and the Agenda 2030 roadmaps. With this alliance we fill the gap between citizens and states by showing ourselves as allies of the latter to implement those roadmaps at a more local level with concrete actions by covering territories, different layers and thematic areas”.

As a final conclusion, Mr. Bernat Solé, Catalan Minister for Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency, from the Catalan Governement defined the MedCoopAlliance as roadmap to comply with the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda: “Our vision of the Mediterranean is in line with the 2030 Agenda as a Government and we are based on the SDGs”. Furthermore, about the Barcelona Process 25th anniversary, he underlined: “We have to continue the inclusive project that started 25 years ago and share it with the EU; we have to integrate south countries and cities and encompass the two shores of the Mediterranean and the MedCoopAlliance can help the euromediterranean actors in the open debates about gender equality issues, citizen participation or migration”.

More about MedCopAlliance:

The MedCoopAlliance is a multi-level, multilateral platform that groups together different sub-state public administration networks in the Mediterranean region. 

Indeed, the Mediterranean Cooperation Alliance represents a unique network of networks working for multi-level transnational governance, and has set itself the goal of establishing cooperation, between local and regional authorities and international entities, with real impacts for the future of the Mediterranean and the people living on its territories.

Since the Barcelona Process was launched, large-scale international projects as well as a great number of local and regional initiatives have been contributing to create a consolidated network of cooperation, which has directly impacted the life of millions of citizens. In this context, multi-level governance has been foreseen a key aspect for the successful impact of cooperation in the Mediterranean Region.

Besides, the alliance is ment to analyse the policy paper conclusions on Territorial Cooperation Governance, Local and Regional Authorities in the Mediterranean.

A video of the conference will soon be available on the websites and social networks of the different entities.