EA Rapporteur Nanette Maupertuis Calls for a Territorial led Mediterranean Pact at ARLEM

At the latest meeting of the ARLEM Commission, President of the European Alliance Group and Rapporteur Nanette Maupertuis presented her report on the implementation of the future Mediterranean Pact, calling for a more territorial, flexible and action-oriented approach to Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.

In her presentation, Maupertuis stressed that the Mediterranean Pact must not become “another top-down strategy”, but rather a framework built together with local and regional authorities and regularly adapted to realities on the ground. She warned that previous Mediterranean strategies had often failed to deliver long-term success because territories and local actors were not sufficiently involved in their implementation.

“The Pact should not remain a promise, it should become a blueprint.”

A major focus of the report was climate resilience and water management. Maupertuis highlighted the increasing risks of droughts, floods and rising sea levels across the Mediterranean basin, stressing that islands and coastal regions are already on the front line of climate change and should be seen as innovation laboratories for future European solutions. The report also underlined the importance of investing in young people, training, mobility and democratic participation to ensure Mediterranean regions can retain talent and create opportunities locally.

The presentation further emphasised the need for stronger capacity building and simplified access to EU funding, particularly for local and regional authorities in the Southern Mediterranean. Maupertuis argued that many territories lack the administrative resources needed to manage European projects and called for more direct and accessible financing under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). She also stressed that Mediterranean cooperation must recognise the diversity of territories, from islands and coastal areas to inland and rural regions, each facing different challenges and realities.

“The Mediterranean should be built up by, with and for the territories that are there.”

Members of ARLEM welcomed the report and exchanged views on how local and regional authorities can contribute to transforming the Mediterranean Pact into a concrete instrument for cooperation, resilience and sustainable development across the region.