European Commission Unveils Pact for the Mediterranean

The European Commission on Thursday presented its Pact for the Mediterranean, a new strategic framework aimed at strengthening cooperation and economic ties across the region.

Built on the Mediterranean’s shared historical and cultural foundations, the Pact is structured around three key pillars: people, the economy, and security.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the goal is to achieve deeper integration through stronger partnerships.

“We need to simplify business, create new connections between our industries, universities, and institutions,” von der Leyen said at Thursday’s press conference. “This is why today we are sending a clear offer to our neighbors - to create a common Mediterranean space with the goal of progressive integration between the two of us.”

European Commissioner for the Mediterranean and for Demography, Dubravka Šuica, stressed that the agreement was the result of extensive consultations with EU member states, southern partners, civil society, young people, and universities.

Šuica added that recent developments in the Middle East and the long-awaited peace deal offer hope for a more stable and prosperous future across the Mediterranean region.