On 14 February 2025, the IEMed, through the EuroMeSCo network, supported the Union for the Mediterranean to hold its first open consultation on its future vision in mandate. Held in the framework of its reform process, the event presented  an occasion to explore which areas of cooperation should be prioritized in the next years, and how the UfM can play a unique role in future regional challenges, including post-crisis reconciliation and rehabilitation.

Amidst shifting geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and considering that the UfM’s 2017 Roadmap has been to a great extent implemented, Member states agreed to launch a reflection on the organisation’s future direction. While various sectoral mandates—such as those related to urban development, women’s empowerment, environment and climate action… – have been updated in recent years, the UfM’s overall mandate has not been reviewed in the last seven years.

In that framework, the open consultation enabled to engage partner institutions, stakeholders, researchers and experts, as well as the civil society from the Euro-Mediterranean region, to the reflection, fostering a more inclusive and transparent approach to cooperation.

Furthermore, it served as a platform to advance discussions on the broader reform of the UfM, focusing on its role, mandate, and capacity for regional impact, and addressing critical questions raised by the UfM Co-Presidency and member states, while reinforcing the UfM’s role as a central hub for regional collaboration.

The EuroMeSCo organised the roundtable entitled “Towards a renewed mandate: the UfM future priorities”, involving Intissar Fakir, Director of Program on North Africa and the Sahel (MEI); Katarzyna Sidło, Senior Policy Analyst for the Middle East and North Africa (EUISS); Youssef Cherif, Director, Columbia Global Center Tunis; Aldo Liga, Research Fellow MENA Centre (ISPI); Nadim Houry, Executive Director (ARI); Luisa María García, Head of the Department for Cooperation with the Arab World and Asia (AECID); Jeremie Fosse, Co-founder and President, eco-union; Jusaima Moiad-Azm Peregrina, Professor, University of Granada.