The geostrategic importance of the Mediterranean as a bridge between the EU, North Africa and the Middle East is fundamental. This was stated by the Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, when announcing the new Pact for the Mediterranean. Conceived as a roadmap to strengthen stability, shared prosperity and the coordinated management of migratory flows, the pact aims to renew the relationship between the two shores of the Mare Nostrum. Three decades after the Barcelona Process, the aim is to achieve closer and more fruitful cooperation. However, its objectives clash with a complex reality that requires political will, sustainable resources and more effective governance mechanisms.
The work is planned on three fronts. First, the focus is on people and improving the education and vocational training of young people. Secondly, it provides for the co-financing of investment projects in Southern Mediterranean countries to promote the sustainable growth of their economies and deepen their integration with the EU. Third, the aim is to intensify cooperation on issues of security, resilience and migration management.
A big challenge is political fragmentation. Mediterranean countries continue to be characterized by profound economic asymmetries and diplomatic tensions that hinder regional cooperation. As the EU attempts to coordinate a common response, national priorities continue to take precedence over the collective vision. For the compact to work, it will be necessary to build trust through verifiable commitments and the strengthening of permanent forums where states can resolve differences. One such forum is the Union for the Mediterranean, an intergovernmental organization created in 2008 and which maintains a close strategic cooperation relationship with the EU. Based in Barcelona, given Spain’s position as a bridge between the two shores, it was created precisely to relaunch the process.
Another central challenge is migration management. The Mediterranean continues to be one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world. The new pact proposes to strengthen cooperation in origin and transit, but this strategy must be accompanied by legal and safe mobility channels, as well as a development policy that generates opportunities in the countries of origin. Migration can no longer be treated exclusively as a border control issue. According to the Erasmus Mundus programme, simplifying procedures for the temporary migration of skilled workers completing their specialization in the EU and creating a common educational space would be mutually beneficial. Migrants help facilitate exports and investments, as indicated by recent empirical evidence from academic studies.
In the economic field, the pact promotes regional integration and energy transition. This involves financing investments in renewable energy, infrastructure and digitalisation, with shared benefits. Under the Global Gateway initiative, the EU finances emblematic projects, such as Medlink in Tunisia and Algeria for renewable energy or Medusa for interconnectivity and high-speed Internet in North Africa. However, the risk is that projects are concentrated in a few countries, widening inequalities. To avoid this, Mediterranean cohesion funds should prioritize social inclusion and youth employment. Two important challenges, of crucial importance for the countries of the South.
Finally, the environmental dimension requires urgent measures. The Mediterranean is a climate change hotspot: rising sea levels, water scarcity and biodiversity loss threaten millions of people. The pact should integrate climate cooperation as a cross-cutting axis, promoting mitigation and adaptation measures with multilateral financing. In this sense, previous regional studies – such as those of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean strategy for sustainable development – should be taken into consideration.
The new pact has the potential to be a transformative platform, but only if it can move from rhetoric to action. The key will be to combine socioeconomic vision, technical cooperation and regional solidarity. In a moment of global crisis and mistrust, the Mediterranean can return to being a space of shared prosperity, as long as its countries decide to sail in the same direction. Spain is expected to play an important role as a driving force behind the pact.
