Rabat – Morocco participated this week in the sixth regional “Union of the Mediterranean” forum, held on November 29 in Barcelona.
The North African country partook in the event through a delegation led by Omar Amghar, the Director of the European Union and Mediterranean Processes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad.
The Spanish media outlet El Pais had announced that Morocco would not be participating in the forum due to its simultaneous engagement in the eight forum on China-Africa Cooperation being held on the same day.
However, while Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs, Nasser Bourita, represented the country at the China-Africa event, Morocco maintained its participation in the Mediterranean forum and was represented by a delegation of senior officials from the foreign ministry.
The “Union for the Mediterranean” forum is a celebration of the “International Day of the Mediterranean,” the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Barcelona Process on 28 November, 1995.
The Barcelona forum’s objective is to create an opportunity for the Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) to discuss more effective regional actions.
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For this year’s event, participants studied the advancement of the 5 priority areas of the UfM concluded after the fifth regional forum, as well as the actions needed to accelerate the realization of the projects in place.
The fifth forum, which was organized last year, focused on various themes such as environment and climate action, sustainable development, social inclusion, equality, the digital transition, and civil protection.
The third ministerial meeting between the European Union and its southern neighbors was also held last Monday in Barcelona, with an objective to assess the progress made in terms of the New Mediterranean Agenda and the region’s Economic and Investment plan.
During the meeting, the participating countries underlined the need to accelerate the implementation of the Economic and Investment Plan, in order to ensure a post-Covid recovery and further strengthen investments.
They reiterated the UfM’s commitment to achieving greater levels of integration and cooperation in the region with a focus on implementing projects that will benefit young people and women.
