- “So I think that the, the, the, the and it's not I mean, I would like maybe to recall what Enrico Letta was saying about the right to stay. So how we can help the this, this specific objective. Um. As I said, we will try to articulate the work that we are doing in the context of the pact with the work that we are doing in the context of the association agreements or of the strategic and comprehensive partnerships. Uh, and by the way, I mean, that's why I'm here, and that's why I will continue to be here, because I want that the European Parliament is fully involved in, in, in this process and can help us also and provide us a sense of direction of, for, for our work. Um. I will go now a little bit more. Um, uh, sorry, just maybe another point that I have not made, uh, because, I mean, when we speak about money and about budget, it's now it's a very sensitive issue because we have entered the negotiations for the next MFF. So I, I don't want to say anything that could prejudge the outcome of, of these negotiations. Um, what I can say is that in the present Multiannual Financial framework, we will try to align the bilateral and regional priorities so that we can use, at best, the financial instruments that we have, and we will work much more.”
Asylum & border control · EU development aid (migration conditionality) · Size of EU budget
- “And they have, by the way, abundant resources in terms of sun and in terms of wind to work in that direction. And we want to link also this power in this capacity of the countries with the work that we can do, for example, in artificial intelligence on the in the creation of AI factories. Um, um. On the the point about the the role of the member states. I think that the what I was saying about the governance is clarifying the issue. This will go into the regular mechanisms of decision making of the European, uh, European Union. Um. On the we will also, uh, make sure that the work that we will do will be coherent with the fragility strategy and the DG Echo and Commission are developing, uh. And we are already working very closely with them, especially maybe the most fragile situation that we are facing. That is the one in Palestine. Um. The. Uh, I think that one point on, uh, on, uh, where I would like to stress is that the countries of the region, again, as I have said before, have been fully engaged, um, fully participated into the process. Um, I will meet again the the ambassadors of the region in a few days time and a few days time. I will be also in, in Rabat for a seminar that the Moroccan government has organised on the pact.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood
- “And that's the one of the point that I hope comes clearly from the from the pact. We want to be operational immediately, not just to give a vision for the future. Um, when it comes to the first pillars, we have identified three initiatives in three policy areas. The first one on skills, education and technical and vocational education and training. Uh, and again, this initiative. Then there are a number of actions that we want to implement. A second one about bridging the gap between education and access to job market. And the third one on culture, tourism and sport, including the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. The second pillar on the Economic side, there are six initiatives focusing on trade, investment promotion, support to start ups, renewable energy and clean technologies, blue and green economy, digital connectivity and tech offer and decarbonised transport. And the third pillar, which is around security, resilience and migration management. We have identified five initiatives focusing on security and defence, and there is a long list of actions. And you can imagine preparedness and resilience implementing implementation of a whole of route approach to migration management, secure border management and justice and law enforcement cooperation. Um, the other element that I, we feel that is very important goes in the third part of the communication about the horizontal aspects. We start, first of all, stressing that the new pact, once operational, has also the ambition to expand its footprint beyond the Mediterranean region. In particular, we will try to explore and encourage the participation in action of mutual interest of the neighbours of the neighbours.”
Legal migration · Youth employment & training · EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood
- “Um. I think that the other novelty, if I may, is that having full awareness of the political landscape and of the crisis that are present in the Middle East, in the overall Mediterranean region and beyond, as we have seen. And the pictures from Beijing are, I think, still very vivid in, in our memory, very much aware of all this. We are trying to concentrate on which kind of initiatives, actions, concrete actions we can take to improve the situation on the ground. So we are not starting from the high political perspective, which again, is there. And it is important. By the way, there will be other documents that we should develop on more political aspects, but we have tried to take into account what the policies that we are running in the different sectors can bring. So the novelty maybe is less in the sectors and much more in the initiatives and the actions that we are going to take this. And as I said, I don't want a document. We are not defining a document which is saying that in 2030 we will struggle for this or for that. But what we can concretely do as from tomorrow, trying to identify, as I said, action initiatives, actions that can be perceived and seen by the people on the ground so that there is a sense that the European Union is acting is not just a declaring or preaching.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood · EU Development & Humanitarian Aid · EU foreign policy approach
- “Mr. chair, thank you very much, David. It's a it's a pleasure to be here. It's always a pleasure to be in, in Athens. And I would like really to use this opportunity to give you a little bit of update of the work that we've been doing during this month on the new pact of practice Iranian, as we are approaching, as you are rightly saying, the formal adoption by the college we are, which is scheduled for mid October. Um, as you can understand, we are still in the in in the middle of our internal process. The inter-service consultation is not yet started. So some of the elements that I would like to share with you may be adopted in this coming weeks, but I think that there is a quite solid structure at the moment. And again, I'm glad that I can give you an update on the work that we have been doing. And then I'm sure that the Commission wants the the communication is adopted, will be happy to come to the European Parliament and engage with with you. Um, essentially the point of departure that after 30 years from the Barcelona Ilona Declaration. The relationship between the European Union and the Southern Mediterranean partners remain a key feature for the European Union and for the countries of the region, and it is true that while we have had a number of different legal framework agreements, the strategic and comprehensive partnership, the political priorities, it is also true that the potential of this relationship is still untapped.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood
- “So Gulf countries, neighbouring African countries, Turkey and Western Balkans. The second aspect, and that's for me it's really very relevant, is the governance mechanism because we want to ensure through this governance mechanism that the pact is really implemented and is not just a another strategy. So we have identified two layers of governance, one at EU level among the 27. And we will try to embed the pact into the Foreign Affairs Council, which will be prepared by the usual in the usual way of working groups. Psc core repair going to the to the Council and is offered as the place where we will bring our work into the European Parliament. We are envisaging a yearly ministerial meeting of the EU southern neighbourhood. Um, and then hopefully also a second discussion. Um, to make the point of the situation, um, during the year. And then we have a second layer of governance at 37. So the 27 plus the ten and the institution, um, where we want to create a joint group at senior official level that could meet twice per year, and that would deal with the monitoring of the implementation of the pact. Um and its. It's, let's say, the additions. I will come to this point in a moment and contribute as well to the preparation of the EU Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial. Um, in this context. We think that the Union of the Mediterranean, with its convening power, could support in a significant way the joint group meetings and be also a partner in the rollout of the new pact.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood · EU relations with Western Balkans · EU relations with Gulf countries
- “Thank you very much, chair, and thanks to the all of you for your question. Comments, contributions. It's again, it's very valuable. Maybe I will start from from this point. I think that the first really novelty of this pact I would say is the methodology. This is not coming. It is falling from the sky. Is a decision taken by the 27 and then having to be accepted by the the countries of the southern neighbourhood. This is really a process, as I was saying, and insisting on of co-creation. I have travelled the whole region. I have met with the again in all the countries with very large segments of the population. We have engaged in different ways, in different forms, uh, with the different segments of the society. And I hope that we have managed to reflect as much as possible the indications and the suggestions coming from the countries of the region in, uh, in the pact. So I think this is a first important point, because I think that there is an ownership on both sides, and we want to continue in this vein. And as I was saying, in the context also of the governance mechanism of the pact, fact we want to continue consulting a civil society. Other economic sectors, cultural sectors. Society at large, youth organizations in order to continue feeding this process. I hope that the fact is not just a flash, a sort of picture that remains then unchanged over the years, but in the country can evolve over time, and we will try to work on enhancing this process of collective ownership.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood · EU engagement with civil society · EU engagement with citizens
- “And we hope also to engage with Turkey in, in, in that perspective. On the Union for the Mediterranean. And then I will go through the question more specifically on Union for the Mediterranean. Indeed, we want to use at best the capacity of the UPM. I think that there is no other organization that is already sitting together, the ten and the 27, so we will certainly use this. As I was saying, the convening power and the capacity of the UPM to support the our work and our activity. Um, Um. On the consultation method, I said that the we will continue over time. Um, I think that what we are trying to do and I said I have to repeat myself, is not to impose or to, let's say, put something from above into the plate of the countries of the South. So we'll try to generate these ideas together. And I think that the point of integration of economic integration is very relevant. I mean, um, and then I go back to the overall political situation in this moment, the, the need for having a multiplying the supply chains, the capacity of production is very important. And we want to, build on on this point. Um, um, the, the focus on renewable energies and clean technology is not something that is coming from us. It's come only it's coming also from the countries of the region. All the countries of the region, including those who are producing fossil fuels, are working on the diversification of their capacity.”
Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights) · EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood
- “And we believe that there is a. Especially under the present circumstances with the regional crisis that is unfortunately ravaging the the area, but also the overall political situation in the world, there is even more reason to try to bring this relationship to a different level. And so essentially with the new pact. What we want to do is to have a paradigm, a paradigm shift to move together with the EU and the countries of the southern neighbourhood into a partnership which is based on joint responsibility, co-ownership and co-creation, with the objective of deepening the integration of our common Mediterranean space. The new pact builds around a people centred agenda, and that wants to create a framework for practical cooperation, which is trying to combine, on the one hand, strong political commitment with the with the partners, with the bottom up approach aiming at developing joint initiatives in areas of common interests that can deliver tangible results for our societies, and in particular for the youth, that still represent more than half of the population of our southern neighbor partners. Um, the we have engaged in a very extensive consultation process with the countries of the region, not only with the governments, but also with civil society, with the think tanks, academia, cultural actors, economic actors, and with a number of key stakeholders, international organizations. So it has been quite a substantial and a very interesting process, um, which has given us, I hope, the perspective of what is important and what are the expectations across the region and has allowed us to shape the content of the pact.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood · EU engagement with youth · Funding for EU Neighbourhood
- “Now on the structure of the communication and I will try to be brief. First, we have an introduction which will focus on the importance of this common Mediterranean space, on the principles that are underpinning our pact. Again practical cooperation, partnership, co-ownership, but also a principle of flexibility. We do not want to have a initiatives that have to be agreed by everybody at the same time. We will try to have an approach which is a little bit more tailor made up so that we can move forward, and not being stuck in the research of unanimity in the introduction. We have also referred to the commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance and rule of law, as well as gender equality and non-discrimination. Um, the pact itself will be articulated around three pillars. And now we go more really into the structure of the pact for each pillar, uh, that the three pillars are people first. So something very much linked to the, uh, to the policy areas around, um, young part of the population, second pillar on stronger and more integrated economies, and the third pillar on security, resilience and migration management. Um, for each pillar is, uh, let's say identifying, first of all, we have a narrative around the, the work that we want to do, but then we are identifying specific initiatives and for each initiative, specific actions that we want to implement and that we hope can be rapidly implemented.”
Asylum & border control · Gender roles, equality and inclusion · EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood
- “So that's for me. It's the, the, the real point, the real novelty. The other real novelty is that we have been stuck between up until now and sorry of my frankness, between bilateralism and a sort of supposed regionalism that has never existed, because essentially we have never managed to find an agreement at regional level between all the participants, because from one day on another someone was stopping. And so, I mean, all the things that we have managed to do is to have roundtables, seminars, discussions, but nothing actions actionable. So what we want to do, and that's why I was insisting on the point of flexibility, is to have initiatives where we do not necessarily have to have all the people, all the countries on board. We will go with those who want to deepen the cooperation in this common space. And again, I don't want just to say that it's the countries of the southern shore, let's say, that integrate into the northern shore, but it's much more how we can create a space which is common, where we have common interests and common responsibility to to face. The pillars are quite significantly intertwined Twined between among themselves. And, uh, I don't want to say that the migration is the theme because it is not the case, but certainly everything that we are doing in order to increase the capacity of access to job, everything that we are doing, in order to increase the economic capacities of these countries, everything that we are doing, including more specifically in the migration sector, have an impact on this.”
EU development aid (migration conditionality) · Legal migration · EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood
- “So we are trying to do all that is possible in order to get their buy in. And again, more than anything else, their ownership. I don't want just to, uh, they buy the product, but they own the product itself. Finally, the point on on human rights, uh, let me see was was mentioning, uh, human rights will be again an integral part of the pact. And we have it, let's say, put very clearly, reference to a respect for human rights, for fundamental freedoms and rule of law, uh, and enhancement of democracy. Um, this is a part of the, uh, I think of our, our agenda. And we also believe that this is very important to preserve, let's say, the or enhance the society, the civil society, its capacity, and to create the conditions for, uh, investments and, uh, foreign coming from, from, from European Union. Uh, since you have been asked me, to be precise, I will be precise. We are not including an element of conditionality in the pact. Exactly. For the reason that I was mentioning before. We believe that it is not a unilateral document. This is a document that has to be endorsed and accepted by both sides. But this does not mean that we will not continue to work to make sure that, again, human rights and fundamental freedoms can be respected in the region as they have to be respected also in other parts of the world. Thank you very much, chair.”
EU Supervision of the Rule of Law · EU development aid (migration conditionality) · EU competences on human rights
- “We will try to use the best the expertise of the Union for Mediterranean, including for the preparation of the different ministerial sectorial ministerial meetings between the EU and the Southern Neighbourhood Partners. Um, last point, um, all the initiatives that we are proposing under the new pact would be translated into an action plan that we hope to present at the very beginning of 2026, against which progress in the implementation of the pact itself will be assessed by this core governance co-owned governance system. And as I was hinting before, the action plan will be a living document that can be updated regularly with new initiatives and actions added over time. Um, we hope that we can get to the endorsement of the new pact by the 37, uh, participants of the EU and the the ten of the southern neighbourhood, ahead of the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Forum in Barcelona on the 28th of November. It goes without saying that, and I think that is what I'm trying to do to keep the European Parliament closely involved in, uh, in, in not only in this process but also in the future in the implementation of the pact. And as I said before, I'm sure that the Commissioner will be delighted to come and brief you on the pact once approved by the College. Thank you very much, and I'm happy to answer your questions or listen to your remarks.”
EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood · EU Development & Humanitarian Aid · EU foreign policy approach
- “And we are trying to really to develop a toolkit from that point of view on how to develop public private partnerships. The Efsd plus the component which essentially allowing a true budget to support European or national financial institutions, is working quite well. And we want to again, I mean, maybe to go beyond the idea of guarantees and blending loans and see if there are other mechanisms, other instruments that we can use to multiply the Capacity and the willingness of the private sector to finance the specific projects. Um, and that's maybe brings me to one of the questions that was asked about Global Gateway. Indeed, we are developing also a mediterranean window with that within Global Wind Global Gateway. We will take part in the next forum in in October. And we want to create synergies between the northern and the southern part of Africa. And this is again, I was saying about the, the, the the cooperation with the third countries, uh, that includes the Gulf, the countries of the Gulf. And it is evident, I would say it's also natural because the portfolio of the commissioner covers also the, the Gulf countries. So certainly we will look very much at the dimension of the cooperation that we can have in that sectors. But also, as it has been said with Africa, because it's there is no artificial separation between northern Africa and and the rest of Africa.”
EU Development & Humanitarian Aid · EU policy on African region · EU relations with Gulf countries