To revive and strengthen the strategic partnership between the European Union and its southern neighborhood partners, the European Commission and the High Representative adopted, on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, a new agenda for the Mediterranean.
This new agenda includes an economic investment plan aimed at stimulating long-term socio-economic recovery in the countries of the southern neighborhood.
Within the framework of the new instrument of neighborhood, development cooperation and international cooperation of the EU, up to 7 billion euros for the period 2021-2027 would be allocated to its implementation, which could mobilize up to 30 billion euros in private and public investment in the countries of the southern neighborhood during the next decade.
According to Josep Borrell, high representative and vice-president, “this communication sends a crucial message on the importance that we give to our southern neighborhood. A reinforced Mediterranean partnership remains a strategic imperative for the European Union. 25 years after the Barcelona declaration and 10 years after the Arab Spring, the challenges in the Mediterranean – many of which result from global trends – remain considerable.
To meet these challenges, we must renew our mutual efforts and act in close collaboration as partners, in the interest of all. This is the object of this new agenda. We are determined to collaborate with our southern partners as part of a new agenda that will focus on people, in particular women and young people, and will help them make their hopes for the future, to exercise their rights and to build a Pacific Pacific, safe, more democratic, prosperous and inclusive neighborhood.
For his part, the commissioner for the neighborhood and enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, has focused on “a renewed partnership based on interest and common challenges” with a certain number of priority sectors that have been identified:
Human development, good governance and law of law: renew the common commitment to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and responsible governance;
Resilience, prosperity and digital transition: support resilient, inclusive, sustainable and connected savings that create possibilities for all, especially for women and young people;
Peace and security: The EU as a peace actor and conflict resolution will provide support to countries to meet the new security challenges;
Migration and mobility: the EU and the countries of the southern neighborhood will face together the problems of forced displacements and irregular migration and will facilitate safe legal entrances for migration and mobility;
Ecological transition: climate resilience, energy and environment: take advantage of the potential for a low carbon future, protect the natural resources of the region and generate green growth.
