Overview
- Twenty regions from ten European and North African countries approved a joint declaration seeking formal territorial participation in governance of the Pact for the Mediterranean.
- Regional leaders called for a monitoring committee with local representation, a technical assistance fund, and an agile, accessible financial architecture to turn commitments into projects.
- The opening, tied to the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, convenes leaders from 43 countries to reinvigorate cooperation across the Mediterranean basin.
- Catalonia’s president, Salvador Illa, urged “dialogue over force” and called for a European role in securing a just peace and the reconstruction of Gaza.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Jordan’s Ayman Safadi are set to preside over a ministers’ meeting later in the forum to discuss urgent regional challenges and a common stance on the EU initiative, with senior officials including Stefano Sannino and UpM secretary‑general Nasser Kamel in attendance.