– Francina Armengol and Javier Maroto shall chair this international parliamentary meeting that shall bring together parliamentarians from the 43 member States.
– On occasion of this Summit, Spain shall transfer the Presidency of the PA-UfM to Egypt.
The Ninth Summit of Speakers and the Eighteenth Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) shall be held in Málaga from June 25 to 27, within the framework of the Spanish Presidency, which comes to an end is to be taken over by Egypt, who shall preside the Assembly next year. The meeting shall bring together Speakers and Heads of Delegation of the national parliaments and of the European Parliament to address the political, social and environmental challenges faced by the Mediterranean.
The Ninth Summit of Speakers shall take place on Thursday, June 26, starting at 10.30 with the inauguration session by the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; and the first Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Javier Maroto; the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco, Rachid Talbi El Alami; the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Egypt, Hanafy Gibaly; and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
The Declaration of the Summit of Speakers shall be adopted at the closing session, which shall start at 13.00, after the addresses by the Speakers and Heads of Delegation.
18th Plenary Session
The Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean shall be held on Friday, June 27. The inauguration session shall be attended by the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; the first Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Javier Maroto; the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco, Rachid Talbi El Alami; and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Egypt, Hanafy Gibaly.
The Recommendations and proposals of the Committees and Working Group on Financing of the Assembly and Review of the Procedures shall be presented and adopted from 10.00. In particular, the Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights Committee (European Parliament), the Economic and Financial Affairs, Social Affairs and Education Committee (Türkiye), the Committee for the Improvement of the Quality of Life, Exchanges between Civil Societies and Culture (Morrocco), the Committee for Women’s Rights in Euro Mediterranean Countries (Italy); the Energy, Environment and Water Committee (Portugal), and the Working Group on Financing of the Assembly and Review of the Procedure (European Parliament) shall present their conclusions.
On occasion of the closing session, the Presidency of the Assembly shall be transferred, with the addresses by the first Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Javier Maroto; the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Egypt, Hanafy Gibaly, as new President of the Assembly.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean
The Union for the Mediterranean, initially known as “Barcelona Process: Euro Mediterranean Partnership “is an international organization currently made up of 43 countries. It has a European component, made up of all the Member States of the European Union, and a Mediterranean one, integrated by the countries of North Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East.
The goal of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) is to assist, boost and contribute to the consolidation and development of the Barcelona Process.
The four co-presidencies of the Assembly for the 2020-2026 period, are the European Parliament, the Moroccan Parliament, the Cortes Generales and the Parliament of Egypt. The topic chosen by the Spanish Presidency for the 2024-2025 meetings’ period is the migratory situation in the Mediterranean from a comprehensive point of view.
On this basis, during its presidency, the Cortes Generales shall hold sectorial meetings aimed at addressing all issues related to migratory flows in a cross-cutting manner, with the involvement of the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the PA-UfM member Parliaments, together with other guest international organizations.
In this sense, in January, Lanzarote hosted the reunión de presidentes de parlamentos del Sur de la UE y del Norte de África (Meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of the South of the EU and the North of Africa) where a joint declaration was adopted dealing with economic, humanitarian and development policies in order to manage migratory flows in a more efficient manner.
Last March, H.M. the King inaugurated the Foro sobre el Futuro del Mediterráneo (Forum on the Future of the Mediterranean) held in Granada which brought together parliamentary representatives of all the Member States to discuss migration issues, climate change, youth employment and gender equality in the Mediterranean region, among other matters.
Website and social media
The Cortes Generales have set up the website of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean where you will find all the information on the sessions to be held, follow sessions live, consult press releases and unload images of each event.