Speaker of the House of Representatives Emphasizes Importance of Building a Forward-Looking, Peaceful and Prosperous Mediterranean Area

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami, currently President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, chaired a meeting of the Assembly’s Bureau, held on Thursday, April 28, 2022, via videoconference.

In his address at the meeting, Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami noted, "We must work collectively and tirelessly to demonstrate our concrete and constant determination to formulate this modern Mediterranean identity and build a forward-looking, peaceful and prosperous Mediterranean area."

He further added, “I believe that reflecting about the future of the Mediterranean region has become a pressing necessity, especially given the crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, whose repercussions will surely affect all Mediterranean countries and result in a global reconstruction. It is also important for reaffirming the existence of future perspectives for a further united and cohesive Mediterranean region. Thus, I regard this Mediterranean Assembly as a challenge in itself.”

In the same respect, he stressed the need to adopt a new approach to dealing with the Mediterranean region's future and mobilize resources according to new intervention methods. In the meantime, the Speaker underlined “the existence of some behaviors that hinder the realization of the Mediterranean dream and the collective project of achieving economic development, establishing peace, entrenching rights, and consolidating solidarity.”

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean focused on several troubling questions in the region, particularly political instability, which endangers the future of Mediterranean countries. He also warned against taking a passive observer position, which "is risky, given the present tensions and growing disparities that are of great danger in such a volatile period."

Besides, he stated, “The future of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean depends on us, and it is an immensely challenging task.” On this matter, he added that the Assembly is the most qualified to undertake such a bold step, noting that “the Mediterranean region is a transition area and space for civilizational exchange that must, in the future, be a model of responding to development issues.”

The Speaker of the House added, "we would be guilty if we do not seize our common features to construct a space that unites us in the future, particularly one marked with fair development based on the just utilization of resources." He also noted that consensus and coordination of efforts play a significant role at various political, diplomatic, military, economic, and media levels, both within Europe and between the latter and Northern America.

“Yet, the Mediterranean dimension does not seem to be evoked, as the Maghreb and the southern Mediterranean countries’ peoples are convinced that they are not being considered, except when it comes to diplomatic matters, which has caused a deep crack that we would be mistaken if we underestimate,” the Speaker noted.

In his address, Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami highlighted the four priorities of the Moroccan Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The first priority is linked to sustainable development, mainly water, the environment, blue economy, energy, and implementing concrete measures. In this respect, he highlighted that he would propose to the committees of the Assembly to focus on a practical approach to address energy security, combat climate change, and ensure food and water security, in full partnership with the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona. The second and third priorities concern youth employment, inclusive growth, and the socio-economic empowerment of women. Finally, the fourth priority involves reinforcing and consolidating the action of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.

In addition to the discussion of said priorities, the agenda of the meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly, which was followed by an expanded meeting, also featured candidacy to occupy a vacant position in the Bureau, the appointment of the chairpersons of the standing committees and working groups, the restructuring of the General Secretariat of the Assembly, and the exchange of views on the current situation of the Mediterranean and the perspectives of Mediterranean cooperation.

It should be noted that the Kingdom of Morocco had assumed in April 2022 the Presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean through the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami.

The formal handover of the Presidency of the Assembly to the Kingdom of Morocco took place during a meeting of the Mediterranean delegation, headed by the President of the European Parliament, Ms. Roberto Metsola, in the presence of the Vice-President, Ms. Pina Picierno, and several European parliamentarians.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean comprises 280 members, divided equally between the northern and southern banks of the Mediterranean. Through the plenary sessions it holds at least once a year, the Assembly provides a space for multidimensional cooperation between the elected representatives of the European Union and the partner Mediterranean countries on the basis of a shared and transparent vision of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership that aims to adapt the works of the Union for the Mediterranean to the aspirations and ambitions of the region’s peoples.