The 5th MedThink 5+5 Forum, held in Madrid on 13th and 14th October 2021, brought together more than 35 diplomats, practitioners, and experts from think tanks of the Member States of the 5+5 Dialogue, to discuss the transformations that the Western Mediterranean is currently experiencing and that are likely to structure the future of the region in the post-COVID-19 context.
Madrid 13-14 October 2021. The European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) jointly organised the 5th annual Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network in partnership with Casa Árabe in Madrid, Spain.
This edition marked the return of the activities of the MedThink 5+5 in a face-to-face format following the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing for lively debates revolving around the important transformations in the Western Mediterranean: the transformation of the productive model, the sustainability transition, and the digital transformation.
During the Forum, entitled “What prospects for the 5+5 Dialogue in a Mediterranean in transformation? Adapting to the post-COVID-19 Realities Together”, participants analysed the importance of the 5+5 Dialogue in the post-COVID-19 era to foster cooperation in the Western Mediterranean in times of bilateral tensions in the region, as well as the enhancement of regional value chains, the pursuit of water security, and the potential of the digital transition to achieve sustainable urban development.
This fifth edition was opened by keynote speeches by the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ángeles Moreno Bau, the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, and the Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union, Taïeb Baccouche.
Ms. Ángeles Moreno Bau, representing the Spanish co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue, stressed in her intervention that “the 5+5 Dialogue plays a central role to make progress on the regional agenda in a variety of areas such as labour and home affairs, and encourages a more active participation of all actors of the civil society, including think tanks.” Regarding the transformation of the productive model in the region, she stressed that “The New Agenda of the European Union identifies the Southern neighbourhood as the potential setting for nearshoring. Bringing production closer reduces the risk of supply disruptions, and it has a positive impact on consumers and the environment. Nearshoring would result in a more integrated region, closing the gap of economic indicators of both shores, and creating strong people-to-people ties”.
The Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Taïeb Baccouche, pointed out that “the pandemic has impacted all our countries in the socio-economic, health, and financial areas. It should lead us to rethink the future of the 5+5 Dialogue to enhance resilience, widen the sectorial cooperation, and strengthen human security in its broadest sense.”
Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the UfM, stated for his part that “the COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated the weaknesses and inequalities of the region. The recovery should be based on three elements: an effective regional integration, an inclusive development, and a sustainable ecological transition.”
Since its inception in May 2016, think tanks from the Western Mediterranean have formed a strong alliance known as the MedThink 5+5 network which has by now organised five annual forums in Barcelona, Lisbon, Algiers, Valletta, and Madrid, as well as multiple thematic seminars that brought together experts from around the region and beyond, to analyse the determinants of regional security and stability, as well as economic and human development.
Agenda of the V MedThink 5+5 Forum
Watch the Forum on YouTube:
Opening Session of the Forum
Session 1 (Political Cooperation) & Session 2 (Regional Value Chains)
Session 3 (Water Security) & Session 4 (Smart Cities)
Closing Session
Photos of the Forum:
