15th May 2024, Braga, Portugal – Hon. Giulio Centemero (Italy), President of PAM 2nd Standing Committee, chaired the session focused on the accomplishments and future plans Committee.
In his opening speech, Hon. Giulio Centemero (Italy) highlighted key economic and environmental challenges and announced plans for the operationalization of the Parliamentary Energy Community at the upcoming PAM Forum in Marrakesh in July, demonstrating proactive steps towards regional sustainability.
Opening interventions were pronounced by Dr. Massimo Deandreis, Director of the SRM Research Center and Dr. Said El Hachimi, Head of Parliamentary and IGOs Partnerships and Outreach at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Through his presentation, Dr. Massimo Deandreis highlighted the ongoing key role of the Mediterranean Region in maritime trade. He provided valuable insights on persisting challenges in the region, such as the Red Sea Crisis, and emphasized the strategic importance of protecting and investing in ports to strengthen supply chain resilience.
Hon. Claire Pitollat (France) presented a report regarding “The Outcome of COP 28 and the Energy Transition in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions”, while another report entitled “From the Decade of ‘lost opportunities’ to the ‘Transformation and Cooperation’ Decade: the Global Economic Outlook 2023-24 and the future of the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Regions” was presented by Hon. Rejhana Derviševic (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Hon. Pitollat reminded the records of temperatures reached during the past months and the vulnerability of the Mediterranean region, highlighting the urgent need for action to tackle climate change. Stressing the importance of acting against global warming and environmental crimes in the area, she also emphasized the value of international cooperation on green transition, especially among PAM Member States. In this regard, the upcoming PAM Marrakech Forum will promote the regional potential of energy transition. Finally, she reaffirmed PAM ’s commitment to strengthening financial mechanisms and cooperation between North and South in preparation for COP29.
Hon. Derviševic analyzed the post-pandemic recovery efforts and highlighted the current structural inadequacies with the aim of providing an overview of the actual economic situation and helping parliamentarians to formulate policies to address these challenges. Along with the prevailing macroeconomic realities, the report has also focused on the impact of the
Red Sea Crisis on international trade and the economy. The increasing pressure on the global value chain from the Red Sea Crisis as well the decreased water level in the Panama Canal due to climate change.
Respective contributions supported shaping the debate with particularly insightful contributions from the delegations of Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Palestine, Türkiye, Algeria and Morocco.
The two resolutions on “The Outcome of COP 28 and the Energy Transition in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions”, and ‘Transformation and Cooperation’ Decade: the Global Economic Outlook 2023-24 and the future of the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Regions” were adopted with consensus. //