Date: March 01, 2018

Place:  Albert Borschette Congress Center (CCAB), Brussels - Belgium

Description of the event: The Ministers and High level representatives from Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Mauritania, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia adopted the declaration on the Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean on 30 November 2017, in Naples (Italy). This declaration politically endorses the initiative and the main principles of its governance, including its set up in partnership with the European Commission and the Union for the Mediterranean. Discussions in Naples recalled the need for quick implementation of concrete projects under the WestMED Initiative through increased cooperation among participating countries and the identification of shared priorities and relevant sources of funding. The first step, to move quickly to the implementation phase of the Initiative, will be the establishment of the West MED Steering Committee, which is convened. The meeting will be held under the Algerian-French Co-Presidency.