The Senator for Lanzarote, Manuel Fajardo Palarea, has participated this week in the ninth Summit of Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, which was held in Malaga between June 25 and 27. The socialist parliamentarian attended as a representative of the Spanish Senate, in a forum that brings together representatives from the countries of the north and south of the Mediterranean to jointly address the major challenges of the region.
The summit, which in its seventh edition was held in Lanzarote, has served to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation on key issues such as migration, human rights, energy transition, and regional peace and security.
During the meeting, the need to address the migratory phenomenon from a comprehensive, safe, orderly and regular perspective was emphasized, understanding this process as "an opportunity for both the countries of origin, transit and destination and for the migrants themselves." Likewise, the commitment to "place human rights at the center of migration policies and international cooperation, firmly denouncing racist and xenophobic discourses that threaten coexistence" was reaffirmed.
One of the topics that focused much of the debate was the promotion of renewable energies as a tool to advance towards a just energy transition, mitigate the effects of climate change and strengthen regional integration. The situation of instability in various regions, such as the Gaza Strip, the Sahel or the Middle East, was also analyzed with special concern. Numerous representatives described the offensive of the State of Israel on Gaza as genocide, pointing out the impact of these conflicts on current migratory flows.
According to a statement from the PSOE of Lanzarote, "the Spanish presidency was widely recognized for its coordinating role during the last year, being thanked by all participants before handing over the baton to Egypt, the new country that will hold the rotating presidency of the Assembly."
Delegations from countries such as Portugal, France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Turkey, Slovenia, Egypt and representatives of the European Union, among others, participated in the meeting.