European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced the pact’s three sections: people, economy, and the link between security, preparedness, and migration.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas revealed that the pact includes over 100 projects. These projects will focus on enhancing 5G networks, improving mobile connectivity, initiating youth programs, and strengthening connections like rail, road, maritime links, and subsea cables for data between nations.
Dubravka Šuica, the EU’s Commissioner for the Mediterranean, stated that the pact aims to “connect young people” by expanding Erasmus Plus and Horizon Europe programs, dubbing it the “Mediterranean University.” This will aid regional universities in developing joint degrees and programs with EU counterparts.
“We will also expand talent partnerships with Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, and ease visa issuance, especially for students” from these countries, Šuica noted.
On migration, Šuica described it as both the “greatest shared challenge” and a “shared opportunity,” aiming to deter illegal departures and combat smugglers in the EU’s southern neighbors while creating legal pathways to meet Europe’s labor demands.
“This deeper cooperation is a strategic choice reflected in the establishment of the new DG MENA [the Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf], along with the Commission’s proposal to double the region’s budget to €42 billion for the upcoming programming period,” Šuica declared.
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