Union for the Mediterranean

The Union for the Mediterranean was created by 43 Euro-Mediterranean Heads of State and Government in Paris on 13 July 2008. Foreign Affairs Ministers in their meeting in Marseille on 4th November 2008, decided that the headquarters of the Secretariat would be in Barcelona. The Statutes of the Secretariat were adopted on 3rd March 2010 by the Senior Officials of the Member States of the UfM. A headquarters agreement was signed between the UfM and the Government of Spain on 4th May 2010, granting the Secretariat the privileges and immunities of an international organisation under Spanish law. The Union for the Mediterranean is a multilateral partnership aiming at increasing the potential for regional integration and cohesion among Euro-Mediterranean countries. The Union for the Mediterranean is inspired by the shared political will to revitalize efforts to transform the Mediterranean into an area of peace, democracy, cooperation and prosperity. The creation of a joint secretariat is a keystone in this partnership. The Secretariat is contributing to reinforcing co-ownership of new Mediterranean relations through concrete regional cooperation projects.