The 7th Speakers’ Summit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM), bringing together MEPs and parliamentary speakers from the UfM’s 42 member countries, kicked off on Friday with opening remarks from European Parliament President David Sassoli and prominent guest speakers, followed by a key debate on “the fight against climate change in the Mediterranean Region”.
Participants gathered, both physically in the Parliament’s hemicycle and online, to take stock of some of the most pressing consequences of global warming and a changing environment for their home countries around the Mediterranean. Discussions focused on a broad range of issues, from the devastating impact of rising sea levels and increasing temperatures to the socioeconomic consequences of climate change, food security challenges, threats to ocean ecosystems and the need to work together to mitigate the effects of global warming.
At the summit, members also adopted a joint declaration, which will be available here.
Plenary session of the PA-UfM
On Saturday, the 16th plenary session of the PA-UfM began with opening remarks from European Parliament Vice-President Pedro Silva Pereira. EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell, the European Investment Bank’s Vice-President Ricardo Mourinho Félix also took the floor, among several others. Disucssions focused on some of the main geopolitical challenges affecting the Mediterranean region.
In addition, the plenary session marked the handover of the European Parliament’s rotating PA-UfM Presidency to the Moroccan Parliament.
Programme and webstreaming
Here is the agenda for Friday’s PA-UfM summit, committee, working group and bureau meetings, and Saturday’s plenary session.
You can watch the meetings, except the bureau meetings (in camera), again on the European Parliament’s website.