Federica Mogherini meets Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi

High Representative Federica Mogherini met today with the Secretary General (SG) of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, to discuss the preparations for the second UfM Regional Forum - an annual conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from all 43 UfM Member states - which is set for November.

Secretary General Sijilmassi informed the High Representative about progress in preparation of the UfM Road Map, a strategic document which will set the framework for the UfM’s work in the future.

Mogherini commended the work of the UfM in making possible practical cooperation between all actors in the Mediterranean, not least through sectorial Ministerial Meetings on topics crucial for the region, such as Cooperation and Planning, and its work in successfully implementing UfM labelled regional projects. She stressed the need for further joint efforts in addressing the needs and challenges of the region, which is of key strategic importance to the EU i.

The Union for the Mediterranean is an inter-governmental forum that brings together 43 countries located around the Mediterranean Sea. Since the EU took over the Co-Presidency of the UfM in 2012, eight sectorial Ministerial Conferences have been held, and the first UfM Regional Forum was organised in Barcelona in 2015. The UfM has also “labelled” 45 regional projects worth over €5 billion.