Union for the Mediterranean’s Assembly: effects of climate change on the region 

Persbericht 
 
 

Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean will gather on Friday and Saturday to debate how to fight climate change in the region.

The 7th Speakers’ Summit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM), bringing together MEPs and parliamentary speakers from the UfM’s 42 member countries, will kick off on Friday 3 December with opening remarks from European Parliament President David Sassoli, followed by a key debate on “the fight against climate change in the Mediterranean Region”. Participants will gather, both physically in the European Parliament’s hemicycle and online, to take stock of some of the most pressing consequences of global warming and a changing environment for their home countries. They will also adopt a joint declaration.

Plenary Session of the PA-UfM

On Saturday 4 December, the 16th plenary session of the PA-UfM will begin with opening remarks from EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Minister H.E. Ayman al-Safadi (tbc) and the European Investment Bank’s Vice-President Mr Ricardo Mourinho Félix will also take the floor, among several others.

The plenary session, which gathers MEPs and parliamentarians from the UfM’s countries, will discuss some of the main geopolitical challenges affecting the Mediterranean region. The Assembly plenary will then adopt the recommendations drawn up by the PA-UfM’s five thematic committees.

In addition, the plenary session will mark the handover of the European Parliament’s rotating PA-UfM Presidency to the Moroccan Parliament.

Quote

Ahead of the two-day event, Parliament President David Sassoli said: “When we talk about the Mediterranean, we are not only talking about an EU border. The Mediterranean must become a space for dialogue and cooperation with our neighbouring countries, a place to progress on democracy, social and economic development. It must become an axis of solidarity, on not only migration and asylum, but now also in the fight against climate change. The Mediterranean is overheating 20% faster than the rest of the world and climate change has a significant impact, increasing instability in the region. If our neighbours are not doing well and are not safe, neither are we.”

“The EU must continue to act as a leader in climate action, through its diplomacy, playing a key role in convincing all partner governments of the Union for the Mediterranean to raise their ambitions in line with the COP 26 conclusions and transforming commitments into concrete policy measures”, he added.

Programme and webstreaming

Here is the agenda for Friday’s PA-UfM summit, committee, working group and bureau meetings, and Saturday’s plenary session.

You can watch the meetings except the bureau meetings (in camera) live on the European Parliament’s website and EbS.

Practical information for journalists

As of 3 November, all people entering Parliament’s buildings are requested to present a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate, including journalists. The EU Digital COVID Certificate proves that a person is either fully vaccinated, has immunity after having recovered from COVID-19 or can show a recent negative PCR test result. Both digital and paper formats of the EU Digital COVID Certificate or of a recognised equivalent certificate will be accepted.

Proof of a negative result of a PCR test carried out within the last 72 hours in Belgium, Luxembourg or France will also be accepted. Please note that the existing precautionary measures, including the compulsory wearing of a medical face mask and temperature checks at entrances, remain in place.