Alicante is the city chosen by the Head of Government Pedro Sánchez to organize the next summit of the Southern Countries of the European Union (MED-9), which will be attended by the Heads of State and Government of Spain, France and Italy. , Greece, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus, Croatia and Slovenia. To be held on the date of the meeting September 30 With meetings to be planned in Casa Mediterráneo and Ciudad de la Luz, as reported by official sources to this newspaper.
The last meeting of the Southern EU countries was held in Greece in 2021, organized by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. It revolved around climate change and its impact on the Mediterranean. A year later, this is recognized as one of the key points, with the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis keeping half of Europe in suspense, and the need to move forward in the ecological transition. on the leaders’ agenda.
The designation of Alicante as the city to host the meeting between the top representatives of the rulers of nine countries will make the provincial capital the epicenter of the European agenda at a time when leaders seek solutions to rising gas prices. electric. In fact, the negotiations to try to improve the gas link between Spain and France through the Pyrenees are very current these days, after Sánchez’s alliance with German chancellor Olaf Scholz by Emmanuel Macron, with whom they tried to pressure the Executive.
One of the key settings for meetings in Alicante is Casa Mediterráneo. Established in 2009, it is structured as a public diplomacy tool whose main purpose is to promote mutual understanding and rapprochement between Spain and other countries in the Mediterranean basin in various fields such as culture, economy and climate change. gender equality or scientific and technological innovation.