The 5th High Level Meeting of the national Parliaments of the Western Mediterranean Cooperation (5+5 Dialogue), will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, on 20 May 2014, on the occasion of the 11th Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Ministers and the 2nd Economic Business Forum of the 5+5 Dialogue, to be held on the following days.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), which is responsible to service the parliamentary dimension of the 5+5 Dialogue, organized the meeting at the invitation of the Speaker of the Portuguese Parliament.
National parliamentary delegations from the 5+5 Dialogue Member States, plus the National Council of Monaco, PAM and other invited representatives from relevant regional parliamentary institutions, will address the main issues on the table from the parliamentary perspective, and will discuss how the National Assemblies can contribute in the sectors of regional security, economic growth, climate change and the protection of victims of human trafficking and the fight against organized crime.
The final declaration adopted by the parliamentarians at the Conclusion of the Fourth Meeting of the Parliaments of the countries of the Western Mediterranean Forum – 5+5 Dialogue in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 15th April 2013, had reaffirmed the pivotal role of the Parliamentary Dimension of the 5+5 Dialogue in furthering the cooperation required among the countries of the Western Mediterranean Forum. In this way, they can strengthen democratic institutions and deepen integration to make the region less vulnerable to instability. It was highlighted that representative democracies and parliaments are best placed to respond to political and economic challenges, and to prevent divisions emerging between leaders and the citizens.
On that occasion, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Western Mediterranean Dialogue, in the conclusions at the end of their meeting, had invited PAM parliamentarians to increase their fruitful dialogue and to provide their precious contribution in the implementation of the objectives and priorities agreed upon in Nouakchott for the well-being of the people of the region.