The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as climate change in the Mediterranean basin, serve as a reminder of the urgency of having a coordinated response from the local and regional authorities at the Mediterranean level.
The opinion will call for the development of a macro-regional strategy in order to enhance the coordination of different strategies, initiatives and funding programmes implemented by all levels of government in the Mediterranean such as the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) and Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
Geographically speaking, the strategy will adopt a pragmatic and dynamic approach. It should aim at covering progressively the whole Mediterranean area, starting with voluntary territories and giving the possibility to join to other territories as the strategy evolves.
The opinion will build on the ARLEM report adopted in 2014 "For a cohesion policy for the Mediterranean", which laid the foundations for a macro-regional perspective for the Mediterranean basin. The Council of the EU indicated its readiness to examine joint initiatives aimed at establishing new macro-regional strategies (Council's conclusions of 2/12/2020.13424/20).