– The Speaker of the Congress of Deputies and the Deputy Speaker of the Senate inaugurate this parliamentary Conference held within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Next Monday, January 27, the Cortes Generales, within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, shall hold the meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of the South of the European Union and the North of Africa, which will bring together in Lanzarote parliamentary representatives of the Member States to discuss the migratory situation in the Mediterranean from a comprehensive perspective.
The opening session shall start at 10.30am with the addresses of the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol, of the Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Javier Maroto, the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco, Rachid Talbi Alami, the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives of Egypt, Mohamed Abou El Enein, and the Vice -president of the European Parliament, Younous Amorjee.
The main session shall start next, at 11.30am, and it will tackle the migratory routes of the Western Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The report by the Chairs of the Assembly’s Committees on the specific challenges posed by immigration among the most affected origin, transit and destination countries shall likewise be presented in this session.
The closing session shall take place in the afternoon, from 3.30pm, with the addresses by the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, the Deputy Speaker of the Senate and the President of the regional Government of the Canary Islands.
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 an European component, made up of all the Member States of the European Union, and a Mediterranean one, made up of the countries of the North of Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PAUFM) is aimed at assisting, fostering and contributing to the consolidation and development of the Barcelona Process.
The four co-presidencies of the Assembly for the 2020 -2026 period are currently the European Parliament, the Moroccan Parliament, the Cortes Generales and the Parliament of Egypt.
The topic chosen by the Spanish Presidency for the meetings to be held during the 2024 – 2025 period is the migratory situation in the Mediterranean from a comprehensive perspective.
According to this, the Cortes Generales shall hold during its presidency two sectoral meetings to conduct a cross-cutting analysis of all issues related to migratory movements, bringing together the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the Parliaments that make up the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, together with other guest international organisations.