The challenges of the Mediterranean, under debate

On Monday, 15 June, the Palau de Pedralbes was the venue for the conference “The challenges of the Mediterranean, new opportunities for Catalonia”, organised by the Catalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, IEMed and the CIDOB Foundation.The opening session of the conference was chaired by Àngel Cortadelles, Director General of International Relations, Senén Florensa, Director General of IEMed, and Jordi Vaquer, Director of the CIDOB Foundation. 

This session represented the conclusion of a process of assessment of the Mediterranean carried out within the framework of the drafting of a strategic plan of External Action for Catalonia. In this session, representatives from the Catalan Government and of other public administrations, together with experts, academics and social actors, came together to debate the conclusions of a process that was devised to identify the context, priorities and instruments for carrying out coherent, effective action in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

The session was structured around four round table debates, in which participants discussed the themes of economics and business, politics and security, the socio-cultural sphere, and the instruments and models of connection with the Mediterranean.The participants on the first round table, who discussed the subject area of politics and security, were José Riera, Spanish Ambassador on Special Mission for Mediterranean Affairs, Anna Terron, Secretary for the European Union, and Eduard Soler, Coordinator of the Mediterranean Programme at the CIDOB Foundation. The second table, dedicated to the socio-cultural sphere, was comprised of Gemma Aubarell, Programme Coordinator of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Oriol Amorós, Secretary for Immigration, and Maria Àngels Roque, Director of Mediterranean Cultures. On the third table, which focused on the subject of economics and business, there were Diego Guri, Director of the Enterprise Internationalisation Center ACC1Ó, Javier Albarracín, Head of socio-economic development at IEMed, and Joaquim Ferrer, Director of the International Department at PIMEC. The fourth table, which focused on the area of Instruments and Models of Connection, featured the participation of Andrés Bassols-Soldevila, Deputy Head of the Euro-Med and Regional Issues Unit of the European Commission’s External Relations Directorate-General, Àngel Cortadelles, Director General of International Relations of the Catalan Government, and Neus Gómez, Head of the Office of Cooperation and Development of Barcelona Provincial Council.

Assessment process

The Mediterranean-Middle East assessment process was carried out in three stages; the first, of an internal nature, dealt with the departments of the Generalitat involved in external action, and specifically in the area of the Mediterranean, and their priorities (both geographical and sectorial) for the region. The second stage, which took place in February at the CIDOB Foundation’s headquarters, involved leading experts on the region, and recording their recommendations. The third and final phase, which was held on Monday, was devised with the aim of promoting debate between the different actors in Catalan civil society with a role to play in the Mediterranean region. The conclusions of this process will be incorporated into the Catalonia External Action Plan, which is being drafted by the Catalunya Món Trust on commission from the Catalan government through the Deputy Minister for External Affairs and Cooperation. The government's action plan is a political instrument for planning and coordinating the government external action.