Mayors discuss Euro-Med sustainable development

Mayors of cities of Mediterranean states gathered in Venice on Sunday to discuss the role of cities and culture for sustainable development in the Euro Mediterranean area.

The event, organised by the City of Venice and the European Commission was co-chaired by Paolo Costa, mayor of Venice and Alain Juppè, former Prime Minister of France and current mayor of Bordeaux.

Representatives from Petra, Barcelona, Tunis, Nice, Rabat, Athens, Beirut and Florence among other cities from the Euro-Mediterranean region participated in the meeting. Valletta was represented by Mayor Paul Borg Olivier.

During his address to the conference, Dr Borg Olivier stressed the importance of the Mediterranean region and its primary role in fostering peace and understanding through cross cultural dialogue. He pointed out that Malta was a synthesis of the Mediterranean diversity reflected through its heritage, culture and language.

He also stressed the need to develop further the idea of a Common Mediterranean Cultural Heritage as a main instrument for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. "If in the past we built walls around our cities to defend our people, today we need to build bridges through dialogue and inclusion. Venice is the symbol of bridges and of getting people together," Dr Borg Olivier pointed out.

Mr Juppè commented on Dr Borg Olivier's contribution stating that the Euro-Med Commission and Euro-Mediterranean cities have to work on this principle and that a serious debate should be made on the issue between all the Euro-Med cities.

In the concluding remarks of the session, Mr Costa referred to the need of boosting the debate on the shared Mediterranean identity based on diversity, the common sea and cultural heritage and stressed the increasing need of cities to come closer together in the interest of their people and to give a better quality of life through more concrete actions at all institutional levels fostering peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

A document for peaceful and sustainable development of Euro-Med through culture was approved and signed by more than 80 cities within the European Union and the Mediterranean region and will be presented to the Italian presidency of the council of the European Union in Naples at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Affairs Ministers.