Marking three decades since the launch of the Barcelona Process, the sixth edition of MedCat Days—held in conjunction with the second edition of EU Investments in Strategic Projects: An Outlook from Catalonia—brought together political leaders, institutional representatives, researchers, and civil society actors to reflect on the Mediterranean’s future.
Held in Barcelona on 9 July 2025 and co-hosted by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the European Commission, this year’s forum took on renewed urgency as preparations intensify for a new European Pact for the Mediterranean, due to be presented in October. The event placed particular emphasis on Catalonia’s contribution to advancing innovation, territorial cooperation, and sustainable development, while also providing a space for reflection, dialogue, and strategic visibility—thereby amplifying Catalonia’s vision for Euro-Mediterranean policy through a macro-regional and multi-level governance approach.
Set against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions, environmental pressures, and persistent social and economic inequalities, the event underscored a shared determination to reimagine the Mediterranean as a space of inclusive prosperity and resilient cooperation. The four Interreg Euro-MED missions took centre stage at the forum, with a representative from each participating in the second roundtable discussion on territorial cooperation, multilevel governance, and community empowerment.
A political call for a renewed Pact
The forum opened with a clear political message: the Mediterranean region must be more than a geopolitical frontier—it should be a space of shared prosperity, strategic cooperation, and inclusive governance. Institutional speakers such as Senén Florensa (Executive Director at the IEMed), Nasser Kamel (Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean), and Fernando Sampedro (Spanish Secretary of State for the EU) emphasized this view, underscoring the need to shift from fragmented bilateral arrangements to a multilateral framework, calling for ambitious investments in renewable energy, education, and regional diplomacy.
Salvador Illa, President of the Government of Catalonia, giving the institutional welcome during the MedCat Days 2025.
Salvador Illa, President of the Government of Catalonia, called for a renewed spirit of diplomacy and solidarity, warning against isolationist tendencies in EU policy. “Reinforcing Europe does not mean isolating it,” he affirmed. “The Mediterranean has always been Europe’s point of connection with the world.” Illa also highlighted the need for collective leadership in confronting structural inequality, climate change, and migration, stressing the importance of multilevel cooperation and the revitalisation of regional institutions such as the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
In contrast, the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, framed the region’s future around competitiveness and security cooperation—particularly with North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf. Emphasizing the need for more balanced partnerships, she argued, “(the EU) must become a player, not a payer”, calling for a shift away from transactional approaches, toward empowering partner countries as active agents in regional development. Her remarks pointed to the central role that migration will likely play in the forthcoming Pact, which she described as resting on three pillars: people, investment, and a shared agenda for peace, prosperity, and security. This triad reflects the EU’s attempt to balance social cohesion and mobility (people), economic integration (investment), and geopolitical stability (peace and security), positioning the Mediterranean as both a challenge and an opportunity for the EU’s external action.
Watch a recap of the MedCat Days
This approach was echoed by Jaume Duch, Catalonia’s Minister for the EU and Foreign Affairs, who argued that the Pact must serve as a “concrete response” to the region’s overlapping crises—from climate instability and entrenched inequality to rising geopolitical tensions. He stressed the need to refocus Europe’s attention toward the South and called for new frameworks of governance and finance rooted in coordination and solidarity. Similarly, Francisco Joaquín Gaztelu, Director of DG MENA at the European Commission, reinforced the shift away from outdated donor-beneficiary models, calling for deeper integration based on shared responsibility, with competitiveness, climate resilience, and regulated migration convey the structural pillars of a renewed regional strategy, supported by both public and private investment.
The Role of the Interreg Euro-MED Missions
At the second roundtable of the forum, titled “Transforming the Mediterranean: Smart and Green Solutions through Territorial Cooperation and Community Empowerment”, the four Interreg Euro-MED missions were prominently represented, showcasing their contribution to multilevel governance and collaborative innovation. Chaimae Essousi (Innovative Sustainable Economy Mission, Generalitat de Catalunya) addressed transformative innovation; Josep Rodríguez (Sustainable Tourism Mission, Diputació de Barcelona) spoke on sustainable tourism strategies; Magali Outters (Green Living Areas Mission, Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association) focused on green living solutions; and Annelies Broekman (Natural Heritage Mission, CREAF) contributed insights on nature-based approaches. Their interventions illustrated how the missions translate territorial cooperation into tangible, scalable solutions across the Mediterranean.
Roundtable two, highlighting the Interreg Euro-MED missions.
The session was moderated by Maria Calderó, from the Governance for Sustainability Unit at BETA TC and lead partner of the Innovative Sustainable Economy (ISE) Mission, who also introduced the CAT4Governance coordination group. This platform brings together all Interreg Euro-MED mission partners based in Catalonia, fostering regular exchanges of experiences and agendas in an effort to amplify synergies and increase territorial impact. Additional perspectives came from Mehdi Aissi (WWF North Africa) and Giorgio Mosangini (MedWaves), who broadened the dialogue with contributions on maritime programmes and green entrepreneurship.
Catalonia as a catalyst for green innovation
Throughout the forum’s roundtables, Catalonia was consistently recognised for its active contribution to green innovation, territorial cooperation and effective fundraising for Mediterranean-wide initiatives. Discussions covered a broad spectrum of strategic priorities—from clean energy infrastructure to advanced climate monitoring—each aligned with the region’s broader commitment to ecological and social resilience. Central to this vision was the articulation of a macro-regional approach to ecological transformation, exemplified by flagship projects such as the H2MED hydrogen corridor and floating offshore wind platforms, as well as geospatial monitoring tools and cross-Mediterranean data infrastructure.
In parallel, strong emphasis was placed on the governance mechanisms needed to scale innovation effectively across the Mediterranean. A second roundtable featured governance representatives from all four Interreg Euro-MED missions, underpinning how territorial cooperation and multi-level coordination can serve as catalysts for aligning local experimentation with broader systemic change. Rather than operating in “silos”, panellists sought to emphasize how cooperation across governance levels—from community initiatives to regional networks—can amplify impact and accelerate the uptake of sustainable solutions. Projects like Waste2Fashion or MedSeaRise serve as examples of how circular models and best practices can be co-created and transferred across regions, seeking to amplify the power of co-creation, scientific diplomacy, and knowledge transfer in designing responses that are both context-specific and scalable across the diverse realities of the Mediterranean.
Yet significant challenges remain. As discussed in subsequent roundtables, current EU funding mechanisms must be streamlined, restructured, and made accessible to regional actors. Projects must be more “bankable”, with clear governance, transparency and measurable impact, while donor-receiver relationships be restructured. Speakers called for a shift away from traditional donor–recipient dynamics toward investment-driven models rooted in shared responsibility. Additionally, local and metropolitan authorities were identified as crucial actors in delivering the Pact’s objectives, especially when supported by scientific collaboration, reliable data, and governance frameworks that reflect the complexity of functional territories across the Mediterranean.
The way ahead
Overall, the MedCat Days 2025 reaffirmed the Mediterranean’s centrality to Europe’s future—and Catalonia’s readiness to help shape it. As the region confronts interlinked challenges of climate disruption, migration, and inequality, the forum offered a timely reminder that meaningful transformation depends not only on innovation, but on political will, shared governance, and strategic cooperation. With the forthcoming Pact for the Mediterranean on the horizon, the groundwork laid in Barcelona points clearly toward a more integrated, resilient, and inclusive regional agenda.
