It is with much enthusiasm that we present this second edition of the Progress Report on Regional Integration in the Union for the Mediterranean at this highly symbolic moment, as we mark the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. Fully conscious that no report can encapsulate the current regional socio-economic reality in all its complexity, we entrusted the task of elaborating the UfM Report yet again to the much-esteemed Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), confident in the scientific rigor of its evidence-based methodology and its thorough knowledge of the region. Thanks to the generous support of the German Development Cooperation, this second edition was made possible, and the action-oriented policy recommendations are readily available to guide our strategic compass in one of the world’s least economically integrated regions.
This region, which hundreds of millions of people call home, looks very different now than what it looked like back in 2021 when we launched the first edition of this report. Back then, the entire world was still struggling to navigate the repercussions of a global pandemic that caught us all unprepared. Other disruptions followed and swept across the region ever since, including wars, humanitarian and economic crises, technological and environmental disruptions, and like always, regions that are more fragmented economically have consistently proven to be more vulnerable to the ensuing shockwaves.
The integration imperative has always been at the crux of our mission at the Union for the Mediterranean, and yet we see integration not as an end in itself, but rather as means to the greater goal of building a common area of peace, stability, prosperity and security: the very acquis of the Barcelona Process. Promoting regional cooperation and integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region takes much more than just a political vision or an economic model. Instead, it is increasingly becoming an art of engaging an ever-expanding ecosystem, mobilizing policymakers and actors, building capacities, mapping realities and deficiencies on the ground, and striving to co-design and co-deliver tangible results in a constantly shifting economic and geopolitical landscape. In this sense, we are neo-romantics in a very Mediterranean way; the kind of romance that does not contradict with pragmatism but rather imbues our efforts with the necessary passion to keep on tackling the vast array of challenges without losing spirit.
The second edition of the Report brings good news and confirms with empirical evidence what we already know: that there are clear reasons for hope, promising trends that can be scaled up and replicated, and pathways of action that call for policy reforms and closer orchestration between and within both shores of the region in order to fulfill the legitimate aspiration of our peoples. To land down our optimism into figures, by 2023, the resurgence in intra-UfM trade was evident, with UfM countries trading nearly twice as much with each other as they did with the rest of the world, totaling over USD 4.4 trillion. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have remained broadly resilient across the UfM region, and major north-south green transition initiatives point to the growing role MENA countries play in the EU’s target of importing 10 million megatons of renewable hydrogen per year by 2030.
Conscious of the need for agility and dynamism to tackle the integration-related challenges, the Union for the Mediterranean is undergoing a profound reform process aimed at developing a fit-for-purpose institutional architecture that would be conducive to a more impactful modus operandi. We trust that the support from our Member States and our ecosystem would help us deliver further on all areas of priority for the region.
Integration in our region is as old as trade and mobility and, as such, as old as dialogue and cultural exchange. The Silk Road, the Amber Route and the Spice Trail all converged at the shores of our civilizing sea and its hinterland where writing and the alphabet were first invented, where democracy was born and where the world’s earliest libraries, academies and universities inspired an unequivocal notion of progress. It is this firm belief in progress that guides our collective efforts towards the integration as logos, ethos and pathos. I invite you to read the Report thoroughly and to reflect on its findings, but more importantly, to find inspiration in the actionable recommendations that it presents.
Nasser Kamel
Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean