• Thomas WAGNSONNER. President of the Euromed Follow-Up Committee, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
• Francisco GAZTELU MEZQUIRIZ. Director, Neighbourhood South and Türkiye, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR B), European Commission.
• Carmen MAGARIÑOS. Director-General for the Maghreb, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation.
•  Amb. Senén FLORENSA. Executive President, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed).

Chair

• Harry TZIMITRAS. Director, PRIO Cyprus Centre.

Spreakers

• Joseph BAHOUT. Director, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI), American University of Beirut (AUB).
• Héloïse FAYET. Research Fellow, Security Studies Center, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
• Luisa PUCCIO. Senior Director, Shipping Policy and Communications, European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA).
• Patrick SIMONNET. Special Envoy for the Mediterranean, European External Action Service (EEAS).

Chair

• Michael KOEHLER. Associate Fellow, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed).

Speakers

• Tarek MEGERISI. Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
• Tasnim ABDERRAHIM. Non-Resident Scholar, Middle East Institute.
• Mercedes GARCIA PEREZ. Head of Unit, Migration and Human Security, (GLOBAL GI 4), Service of Deputy Secretary General for economic and global issues, European External Action Service (EEAS).
• Anna KNOLL. Head – migration and mobility, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM).

Keynote Speech

• Helene LE GAL. Managing Director, Middle East and North Africa, European External Action Service (EEAS).

Opening

• Birgit LOESER. Head of Division, MENA Regional Affairs, European External Action Service (EEAS).
• Sergio CARRANZA. Senior Advisor for Mediterranean Affairs, Directorate-General for the Maghreb, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation.

Chair

• Emmanuel COHEN-HADRIA. Director, Euro-Mediterranean Policies Department, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed).

Shifting Narratives: Perspectives on Euro-Mediterranean relations

• Haizam AMIRAH-FERNÁNDEZ. Senior Analyst, Elcano Royal Institute.
• Nadim HOURY. Executive Director, Arab Reform Initiative (ARI).
• Rawan DAMEN. Director General, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ).
• Abdulatif SLEIBI. Senior Data Analyst and Project Officer, PAX for PEACE.
• Alessandro ACCORSI. Senior Analyst, Technology and Conflict, International Crisis Group.

Open debate

15:45-16:15 Coffee Break

Transformative Communication Strategies for strengthened Euro-Mediterranean relations:

• Joumana BRIHI. Team Leader, EU Neighbours South.
• Luis Miguel BUENO. EU Regional Media Officer – Spokesperson in Arabic for the MENA region, European External Action Service (EEAS).
• Didier LAGAE. Founder and Executive Chairman, MARCO (Communication and Branding Agency).
• Saja H. MORTADA. Manager, Arab Fact-Checkers Network, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ).
• Isabel PARDILLOS. Head of Communication and Public Affairs, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

OPEN DEBATE AND TESTIMONIALS

• Shada ISLAM. EUobserver columnist, and independent EU analyst and commentator; Founder and Director, New Horizons Project Geopolitical strategy advice and analysis.
• Jean-Paul MARTHOZ. Editorial Coordinator, Council of Europe’s Platform for journalists’ safety.

Chair

• Roger ALBINYANA. Managing Director, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed).

Speakers

• Hamza MEDDEB. Director, Political Economy Program, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
• Katarzyna SIDLO. Director, Middle East and North Africa Department, Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE).
• Alia MOUBAYED. Founder, AWEAMENA (Association of Women Economists in MENA)
• Adel HAMAIZIA. Managing Director, Highbridge Advisory.

The attacks on the 7 October 2023 have triggered an escalation of the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. This session will focus on analysing possible scenarios for the future of this conflict. Is it possible to envision peace? What role will the EU and the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region play?  What might be the spillover effects in the region?  How will it shape Israel’s relations with Arab countries? How will it impact relations with neighbouring regions such as the GCC countries? What long-term consequences might this conflict have?

Facilitators

• Amb. (ret.) Dr. Abderahman SALAHELDIN. Member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs; Expert, Diplomeds – The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy.
• Erwin VAN VEEN. Team Lead and Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute.

*Members only

Behind the handshakes and technicalities of investment agreements, Global Gateway engagement is deeply political. All the more so in the Euro-Mediterranean region, where geostrategic interests and conflicts clash and clatter, against the backdrop of climate change and political upheaval.  The ambitious but controversial India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced in September 2023 signalled a new era of EU assertiveness across Eurasia, tying together its geostrategic interests from supply chain resilience to energy security.

While human rights might move hearts and minds, connectivity moves governments. Why not use the notion of connectivity to reimagine more inclusive corridors that could enhance regional peace plans? These would then be steeped in the UN Charter values that have thus far been so lacking. How does social, environmental, and institutional sustainability fit into connectivity? The EU’s role in this process is yet to be defined, but it could result in both reputational and economic benefits.

Facilitators

• Stefania BENAGLIA. Head of Foreign Policy Unit, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).
• Paula GURTLER. Researcher, Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation and Digital Economy (GRID) unit, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).
• Fanny SAUVIGNON. Researcher in the Foreign Policy Unit, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

*Members only

Who will be in charge of the EU institutions after the EU elections? What will be the outcome of the elections in the US and of other elections around the region? Will the EU finally decide to revamp its European Neighbourhood Policy? Will the Union for the Mediterranean be given a new mandate? How will partners across the Mediterranean manage spoilers in bilateral relations? What if migration flows explode again in the summer and fall 2024? Energy, role of the GCC, Olympics…
At a critical juncture for Euro-Mediterranean relations, the facilitator will invite participants to think about what will happen to those relations if… In the course of the simulation, a series of factors will be brought in, and participants will be invited to think about what their ramifications.

Facilitator

Adel HAMAIZIA. Managing Director, Highbridge Advisory.

*Members only