A platform enabling us to listen to the perspectives of neighbours sharing a similar reality is fertile ground for sustainable solutions.
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in the ministerial meeting of the Mediterranean countries of the European Union (EU-MED) in Athens.
The meeting, hosted by Greece, was attended by ministers of foreign and European affairs of the seven countries of the European South, namely Cyprus, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Malta and Portugal, which is holding the presidency of the EU until the end of this month.
The meeting was also addressed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
From lessons learned on mobility and tourism in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and the EU’s recovery, to the challenges of migration, the topics covered were broad. The urgency to address the environmental degradation in the Mediterranean was inevitably discussed together with the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean along with the next steps in relation to enhancing the southern neighbourhood.
Sharing a common understanding on such sensitive themes is key ahead of the European Council meeting later this month and, also, the EU-MED summit in leaders’ format that is scheduled for September in Crete.
In bringing together neighbours from the region, a minilateral grouping such as the EU-MED serves an important political and diplomatic function. Given the challenges shared by all parties, the grouping provides an opportunity for concerted efforts and to present a common front in the council. This is especially instrumental for the smallest of member states like Malta.
Minilateral groupings are typically made of groups of three or more EU member states, which are either regionally or functionally organised and seek to influence the EU’s policy formulation.
These type of groupings aim to create a common advocacy strategy to address issues that have vital importance for them. Those familiar with European politics and the Brussels bubble would have certainly come across the Benelux, the Nordic-Baltic six, the Visegrád group and the Weimar triangle.
Some are more structured, others are less so, while our grouping is facing the prospect of enlargement to include Croatia and Slovenia.
Peace, stability and our wellbeing do not happen by chance but are made- Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi
Peace, stability and our wellbeing do not happen by chance but are made. This is no less relevant in the Mediterranean neighbourhood, a historical and cultural melting pot.
Though our countries face common challenges, we are by no means homogenous. Challenges such as the impact of migration, climate change and security are faced from different angles with an equally diverse impact. In the case of migration, we are all on the frontline but addressing one route over land may, for example, lead to an increased flow by sea which often leads to more loss of human life.
In this light, the EU-MED provided the ideal platform to chart a common stance on the commission’s recently proposed new pact on migration, underlining the unique challenges relative to the central Mediterranean route – a sea border – rendering elements to the proposal impractical.
The impact that climate change is having on our region is profound. Experts addressing the Athens meetings mentioned the prospect of increased likelihood of huge jellyfish populations across the Mediterranean and the severe impact it would have on tourism and on the lifestyle of Mediterranean people.
Without meaningful change, increased droughts will be detrimental to food supplies, their quality and their price.
Such droughts will, in all likelihood, amplify the migration phenomenon in extraordinary ways.
Notwithstanding the tools at its disposal, Europe’s geopolitical influence has been weak, leaving many vacuums around the region that have been filled by others.
Cooperation and a concerted effort for a common advocacy strategy among the Mediterranean Europeans are indispensable in finding sustainable solutions for the present and future generations in the Mediterranean region and beyond. Success does not only hinge on common messaging but also collective listening since there is much to learn from each other’s perspectives.
Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds