—

having regard to Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 174 to 178 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

—

having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (1) (Common Provisions Regulation),

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having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund (2),

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having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the Just Transition Fund (3),

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having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments (4),

—

having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) (5),

—

having regard to Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning (6),

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having regard to the Council conclusions of 19 April 2021 on a renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood — A new agenda for the Mediterranean,

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having regard to the Commission communication of 4 February 2022 entitled ‘8th Cohesion Report: Cohesion in Europe towards 2050’ (COM(2022)0034),

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having regard to the Commission’s communication of 9 February 2021 entitled ‘Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood’ (SWD(2021)0023),

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having regard to the Commission’s communication of 11 December 2019 on the European Green Deal (COM(2019)0640),

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having regard to the agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris on 12 December 2015 (Paris Agreement) (7),

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having regard to the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) of 29 October 2021 entitled ‘Renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood — A new Agenda for the Mediterranean’  (8),

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having regard to the CoR opinion of 14 October 2020 entitled ‘Towards sustainable use of Natural Resources within the Mediterranean insular context’  (9),

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having regard to the CoR opinion of 11 October 2022 entitled ‘Towards a macro-regional strategy in the Mediterranean’,

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having regard to its resolution of 15 September 2022 on Economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU: the 8th Cohesion Report (10),

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having regard to its resolution of 15 September 2022 on EU border regions: living labs of European integration (11),

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having regard to its resolution of 7 June 2022 on EU Islands and cohesion policy (12),

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having regard to its resolution of 8 March 2022 on the role of cohesion policy in promoting innovative and smart transformation and regional ICT connectivity (13),

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having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2021 on the gender dimension in cohesion policy (14),

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having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2021 on reversing demographic trends in EU regions using cohesion policy instruments (15),

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having regard to its resolution of 25 March 2021 on cohesion policy and regional environment strategies in the fight against climate change (16),

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having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the climate and environment emergency (17),

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having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal (18),

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having regard to its resolution of 13 March 2018 on lagging regions in the EU (19),

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having regard to its resolution of 13 June 2018 on cohesion policy and the circular economy (20),

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having regard to its resolution of 3 July 2012, entitled ‘Evolution of EU macro-regional strategies: present practice and future prospects, especially in the Mediterranean’  (21),

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having regard to the study conducted for its Committee on Regional Development entitled ‘Islands of the European Union: State of play and future challenges’, published in March 2021,

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having regard to the European Parliament Research Service study ‘Working towards a macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean’, published in October 2021,

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having regard to the First Mediterranean Assessment Report on Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean, released by the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC) in 2020,

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having regard to the 2021 Regional Progress Report on Gender Equality — Union for the Mediterranean Regional Dialogue on Women Empowerment in the Euro-Mediterranean region (22),

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having regard to the 2022 UN Report ‘Dimensions and examples of the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change, the role of women as agents of change and opportunities for women’,

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having regard to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (the Barcelona Convention), adopted on 16 February 1976 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the Coastal States of the Mediterranean Region for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea,

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having regard to the mission report of the Commission on Petitions following the fact-finding visit to the Mar Menor (Murcia), Spain, of 23-25 February 2022, in relation to the environmental deterioration of the Mar Menor,

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having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ Special Report No 09/2022 entitled ‘Climate spending in the 2014-2020 EU budget: Not as high as reported’,

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having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Fisheries,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development (A9-0094/2023),

A.

whereas the countries of the Mediterranean basin, which include EU Member States, candidate and third countries, are home to 250 million inhabitants, half of whom live in the European Union and one third of whom live in coastal areas; whereas strengthening cooperation within and beyond the EU’s borders is crucial in order to address common challenges such as environmental deterioration, pollution and climate change, rising water temperatures, the proliferation of extreme weather events, water shortages, biodiversity loss and food insecurity;

B.

whereas the Mediterranean basin is a cohesive geographical area whose inhabitants share a common historical, cultural and environmental heritage;

C.

whereas the European Regional Development Fund is required to allocate 30 % of its funds to environmental and climate measures in the current programming period, 2021-2027, with the overarching objective of supporting the transition to a climate neutral economy;

D.

whereas the Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed sea with a very slow exchange of its waters, a rich biodiversity and a high proportion of endemic species;

E.

whereas the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most overfished basins in the world and there are still significant concerns over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; whereas increased pollution from human activities, habitat degradation, the introduction of non-indigenous species, and the impact of climate-driven changes on the marine environment and ecosystems are compromising the sustainability of Mediterranean fisheries;

F.

whereas, in addition to the continuous growth of the populations living in the coastal areas, the Mediterranean also hosts 31 % of world tourism on less than 6 % of the world’s land area;

G.

whereas water resources in the Mediterranean are becoming increasingly scarce, giving rise to conflicts between different water-use sectors (agriculture, tourism, industry and people living in the region, as well as biodiversity conservation);

H.

whereas the quantity of waste has more than doubled over the past 30 years despite several EU-funded programme, such as H2020 Initiative for a Cleaner Mediterranean, as well as activities under the aegis of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM); whereas the improper management and treatment of waste from rivers and urban areas make the Mediterranean the area with the sixth largest accumulation of marine litter in the world; whereas the damaging impact of an estimated 730 tonnes of plastic waste, in particular, that are dumped every day in the Mediterranean basin and of the municipal solid waste generation that has been increasing across the whole region since 2014 call for ambitious measures;

I.

whereas maritime transport in the Mediterranean, which carries 20 % of the world’s trade in an area which makes up only 1 % of the world’s ocean, generates between 100 000 and 200 000 tonnes per year of hydrocarbon discharges such as oil spills, necessitating a transition to greater sustainability; whereas industrial activities and intensive farming may result in run-off into rivers and contamination of groundwater, and contribute, along with offshore oil and gas refineries, to worsening sea pollution in the whole basin;

J.

whereas Mediterranean marine mammal numbers have declined by 41 % over the last 50 years and around 80 % of fish stocks are suffering from overfishing; whereas the objective of sustainable fishing is achievable, provided that Member States have the political will;

K.

whereas the Mediterranean basin is warming 20 % faster than the global average; whereas global warming will cause severe consequences that must be anticipated, particularly in terms of precipitation and the hydrological cycle, but also mean warming and heat extremes (in both the terrestrial and marine environment), sea level rise and sea water acidification, as described in the 2020 MedECC report; whereas sea levels could rise by up to 25 cm by 2040–2050; whereas meeting the Paris Agreement limit of 1,5 oC of warming will require the EU’s energy demand to be halved by 2050 compared to 2015 levels, which means priority must be given to energy efficiency solutions and increased cooperation on sustainable energy projects with the other countries around the coast of the Mediterranean by using the region’s untapped potential to help the EU reach both its energy and climate targets;

L.

whereas the EU is committed to spending at least 20 % of the 2014-2020 MFF on climate action; whereas the 2021-2027 EU budget includes an increased target of 30 % on climate action; whereas, the Mediterranean is more exposed to climate change than other regional seas, and its coastal zones face heightened disaster risks, including flooding and erosion, and the salinisation of river deltas and aquifers, which endanger food security and livelihoods;

M.

whereas several transnational and territorial cooperation frameworks and initiatives have been developed over the years in the Mediterranean, such as the UfM, the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly of the European Committee of the Regions (ARLEM), the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), the EU Initiative for the Western Mediterranean (WestMED), Interreg and ENI CBC programmes (e.g. MED, EURO-MED, ENICBC Med, NEXT MED, ADRION, MARITTIMO), the Mediterranean Cooperation Alliance (MedCoopAlliance), the networks of Regions and Local administrations (CPMR and its Intermediterranean Commission, MedCities, Latin Arc), and Euro-regions (Adriatic-Ionian, Pyrenean-Mediterranean);

N.

whereas macro-regions play a key role in strengthening the economic, social, and territorial cohesion of the European Union and its close neighbourhood by empowering cross-border areas to address specific, shared challenges collectively, through exchanges and cooperation and joint implementation, contributing to increased policy effectiveness and impact;

O.

whereas there is a need for Mediterranean territories to finally have an operational instrument, such as a macro-regional strategy enabling them to develop and implement a concrete action plan and joint projects in response to common priorities identified in existing frameworks such as the UfM or ARLEM;

P.

whereas an integrated and sustainably managed blue economy strategy has the potential to address the multidimensional environmental challenges faced by the Mediterranean basin, while providing decent jobs, preserving the livelihoods of local communities, contributing to food security and underpinning the green transition of the broader Mediterranean area;

Q.

whereas the Member States should apply an ecosystem-based approach to maritime spatial planning, including a robust strategic environmental assessment that takes into account the cumulative impacts of all maritime activities, climate change, the precautionary principle, sensitivity mapping, and active stakeholder engagement in a way that is consistent with the EU Green Deal’s climate and biodiversity goals;

R.

whereas, as highlighted by several reports, the adverse effects of climate change are often felt more keenly by women than men as a result of systemic gender discrimination and societal expectations related to gender roles;

S.

whereas providing social security benefits for fishers, in particular those working in small-scale fisheries, is key to ensuring the resilience of the sector and the transition towards more sustainable fisheries;