“The truth is that Europe and the Mediterranean cannot exist without one another,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, announcing that the College of Commissioners in Brussels has approved the new Mediterranean Pact. Framing the sea as a historic bridge between continents, she called the pact “an historic initiative” that recognises how Mediterranean exchanges have shaped Europe’s identity and way of life.
Presenting the pact, von der Leyen also confirmed that the new European Firefighting Centre in Cyprus, first announced in her State of the Union speech in Strasbourg last September, will proceed. She further described the Gaza conflict as a “war that has ended,” and argued the European Union must help shape the region’s future.
Von der Leyen said the Mediterranean Pact is a partner-to-partner compact built through dialogue with neighbouring states. It proposes the creation of a Common Mediterranean Area aimed at progressive integration, reflecting how closely the two shores’ futures are now intertwined. Economically, she noted that EU trade with the broader Mediterranean has risen by more than 60 percent in just five years.
The pact is structured around three pillars; people, the economy, and the nexus of security, preparedness and migration, and is accompanied by a slate of concrete actions. Von der Leyen cited more than a hundred ideas already on the table, from a Mediterranean University and deeper links between cultural institutions and civil societies, to AI manufacturing sites across the region and a new Mediterranean start-ups initiative. Managing migration jointly and establishing the European Firefighting Centre in Cyprus are part of the same action plan with the EU’s ten southern neighbours, she said, invoking a regional proverb: “Words fly, deeds remain.”
Financing will come from EU instruments leveraged with private investment. The Commission also wants to strengthen triangular cooperation, particularly with the Gulf countries, which von der Leyen said is essential for flagship projects such as the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor.
Turning to Gaza, von der Leyen described the moment as pivotal not only for the enclave but for the EU and the wider Mediterranean. Europe, she argued, has a strong interest in shaping a future of peace and prosperity in its shared neighbourhood and intends to play its part as a partner. “This is our commitment to our common Mediterranean homeland,” she concluded.