Rethinking Regional Cooperation: Advancing Peace and Dialogue Across the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean region continues to grapple with a wide spectrum of conflicts—open, frozen, inter-state, and civil—yet it still lacks an institutional framework dedicated to security, conflict prevention, and resolution. Against this backdrop, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) convened a high-level discussion on how regional organizations can play a stronger role in promoting peace, dialogue, and cooperation across the Mediterranean.

The discussion highlighted the potential of existing frameworks such as the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Anna Lindh Foundation, both of which bring together diverse actors under inclusive models for cooperation and intercultural dialogue. Speakers emphasized that these institutions, along with other regional and sub-regional initiatives, represent key assets that could be more ambitiously leveraged to foster trust, strengthen resilience, and advance joint solutions to shared challenges.

Participants underscored the importance of civil society, youth engagement, and intercultural exchange as vital components of any long-term peacebuilding strategy. They called for deeper collaboration—horizontally among states and vertically with local actors—to ensure that regional frameworks remain connected to the realities on the ground.

The conversation also addressed the need to adapt and empower Mediterranean institutions to respond to emerging cross-border challenges, particularly in the areas of climate change, energy transition, and migration governance.

Speakers:

• Dr. Alessandro G. Lamonica, Manager, Public Policies Unit, Anna Lindh Foundation; Adjunct Professor, Brussels School of Governance
• Marie-Claire Boillot, Senior Energy and Climate Change Expert, Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat (UfMS)
• Androulla Vassiliou, Vice President, Europa Nostra
• Prof. Dr. Harry Tzimitras, Director, PRIO Cyprus Centre; Expert, Diplomeds – The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy

Moderator:
Emmanuel Cohen-Hadria, Co-Founder and Executive Board Member, Diplomeds – The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy