On 12 December, the 5+5 held the last meeting of the year and the last one under the French Presidency. In January, Italy will assume the chairmanship of that forum of cooperation. The ministerial meeting on defence was attended by the ten Western Mediterranean countries. Participants evaluated the progresses achieved through the initiatives launched during last year. 38 projects were approved in 2017, but two of them, both related to Libya, could not be implemented. This has been the tenth event organized in France. The French Ministry of Armed Forces expressed its satisfaction for the role played by France during its mandate.