- Francina Armengol and Pedro Rollán preside over this parliamentary conference held within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean
- On April 2, the Speakers and Heads of Delegation shall be invited to plant an olive tree from their region at the Carlos V Palace.
On April 3, His Majesty the King shall inaugurate the Forum on the Future of the Mediterranean to be held in Granada, within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean. This Forum shall bring together parliamentary representatives of the Member States to discuss, inter alia, migratory flows, climate change, youth employment and gender equality in the Mediterranean region.
The inauguration session shall start at 12.30 on April 3, with the welcome address by Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Ms Francina Armengol, and the Speaker of the Senate, Mr Pedro Rollán. Next, the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Ms Dubravkka Šuica, shall deliver a Keynote speech on “The new Pact for the Mediterranean”, followed by an address by H.M. The King Felipe VI.
The first session, starting at 14.30, shall be focused on “The Alliance of Civilisations: peace and stability in the Mediterranean region”, with the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Ms Francina Armengol, as moderator. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel and the Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Josep Ferré shall also address the Froum as guest speakers, while the Chairperson of the Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, Mr Giuseppe Antoci, shall present the conclusions of the meeting of the Political Committee on the situation in the Middle East.
On occasion of this session, the General Directorate for the Mediterranean (DG MENA) of the European Commission shall address the Forum on the role of the European Commission faced with the common challenges in this region.
The second session of this parliamentary conference shall start at 16:00, to deal with the specific challenges posed by migratory flows in the Mediterranean.
It shall be moderated by the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Egypt, Hanafy Gibaly, and attended by the Secretary of State for Migrations, Pilar Cancela. Likewise, the 2025 Report of the Local and Regional Euro Mediterranean Assembly (ARLEM) on “Territorial perspectives for the future of the Euro Mediterranean agenda” shall be presented.
Climate change, youth employment and gender equality
The third session of the Forum on the Future of the Mediterranean shall start at 10:00 on April 4. The issue of climate change shall be discussed with the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco, Rachid Talbi El Alami. The ARLEM report on “A sustainable green transition for the Mediterranean” shall likewise be presented at this session.
Youth employment and gender equality are among the challenges to be discussed during this day. Thus, from 11:30, the Vice-president of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, shall be moderating this session. It will be attended by the second Vice-president of the Government and Minister for Work and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; the rapporteur of the European Social and Economic Committee (ESEC) to present the Opinion “Youth involvement in social and civil dialogue in the Mediterranean region”, María Helena de Felipe Lehtonen; and the Gender Equality Projects Manager of the Social and Civil Affairs Division of the Union for the Mediterranean, Anna Dorangriccchia.
Closing session
The closing session shall take place on Friday from 13:00 and it shall be attended by the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Egypt, Hanafy Gibaly; the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco, Rachid Talbi El Alami; the Vice-president of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno; and the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol.
This parliamentary Forum shall conclude with the adoption of the Declaration of the Forum on the Future of the Mediterranean
‘The Garden of Peace’
On Wednesday, April 2, and within the initiative ‘The Garden of Peace: the olive tree as a universal symbol of peace’, the Speakers and Heads of Delegation shall be invited to plant an olive tree from their region at the Carlos V Palace.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean
The Union for the Mediterranean, initially known as “Barcelona Process: Euro Mediterranean Association” is an international organization which currently brings together 43 countries. It has an European component, made up of all the EU Member States and a Mediterranean component, made up of 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.
Currently, the four co-presidencies of the Assembly during the 2020- 2026 period are made up of 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 period is the migratory situation in the Mediterranean from a comprehensive perspective.
On this basis, the Cortes Generales shall hold during this Presidency a series of sectorial meetings that aim to approach in a cross-cutting manner all issues related to migratory movements, attended by the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the Parliaments members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, apart from other guest international organisations.
In this sense, in January Lanzarote hosted the meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of the South of the EU and North of Africa which resulted in the adoption of a joint declaration to approach economic, humanitarian and development policies in such a a way as to manage migratory flows with greater efficiency.