Malta was awarded the Cannes International prize for Water and Cooperation during the 10th

International Symposium on Water held in the city on the French Mediterranean coastline. The

prize was awarded in recognition of the commitment to and involvement in the establishment of

the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) which is headquartered in Palazzo

Spinola in St. Julians.

On the occasion of the three PAM Standing Committee meetings in Malta held this month, the

award was handed over to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta the Hon. Dr

Louis Galea by the Head of the Portughese delegation, the Hon. José Junqueiro. The latter,

accompanied by the Secretary General Dr. Sergio Piazzi, had received the prize on behalf of

PAM in Cannes. Mr Junquiero underlined the role of Malta and thanked on behalf of PAM the

Maltese authorities for hosting the Headquarters and the Secretariat in Malta which is serving as

a focal point for parliamentary diplomacy in the centre of the Mediterranean not only for the 25

member states but also for other international organisations wishing to be more active in the

region through closer ties with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

Dr Galea on his part referred to the award, made up of two brass hands holding a drop of water,

as symbolizing Malta’s persistant and continuous efforts and commitment towards peace and

stability in the Mediterranean basin. Malta has played a historical role in advancing the debate on

the centrality of the Mediterranean as a region within which countries can flourish through

cultural, social, economic and political development based on the concept of sustainability.

Dialogue, tolerance, exchanges and mutual understanding represent the underlying framework in

order to encourage further cooperation with a vision towards a future of common approaches to

common concerns.

North and South are geographically networked by the same drops of the sea. This unifying

element must continue to serve as a capillary ramification between the many cultures that in their

own merit participate in the building of the identity on the one hand and the identities on the

other of the Mediterranean region.