Director of the Agency at the EU–Southern Mediterranean Conference

The Director of the Agency, Dr Franci Demšar, took part on 11 December in the European Parliament in Brussels in the conference “Bridging continents: higher education as a tool for EU–Southern Mediterranean cooperation”. The event was organised, with the support of the Union for the Mediterranean, by the Euro-Mediterranean University EMUNI and the Euromed University of Fes (UEMF), in cooperation with the Slovenian Business and Research Association in Brussels (SBRA). The conference was dedicated to discussing the role of higher education in implementing the new Pact for the Mediterranean, strengthening regional alliances and establishing a structured dialogue between the European Union and the Southern Mediterranean.

At the opening ceremony, participants were addressed by a number of distinguished guests, including Dr Rado Bohinc, President of EMUNI, Dr Draško Veselinovič, Director of SBRA, and Member of the European Parliament Dr Vladimir Prebilič. In the keynote segment, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica stressed the strategic importance of education in the Euro-Mediterranean neighbourhood and its integration into the broader external policy of the EU.

The morning part of the event was marked by a panel dedicated to considering education as a strategic tool for stability, integration and democratic development in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The discussion highlighted higher education as an important element of the European Union in the context of enlargement, neighbourhood policy, preventing brain drain and building a resilient and inclusive society. This was followed by the first substantive panel, devoted to presenting concrete institutional models and policy frameworks for shaping Euro-Mediterranean university alliances that foster convergence in teaching, mobility, research and innovation. The panel showcased successful cooperation platforms and the role of university networks UNIMED, EUA, AARU and Tethys, as well as the role of European funding programmes in their further development and expansion.

The second panel explored opportunities to promote the circulation of knowledge and talent, reduce brain drain and improve access to education, in particular through the Erasmus+ programme and other mobility schemes. The third panel focused on linking research and innovation in the Euro-Mediterranean area, access to the Horizon Europe and PRIMA programmes, and the role of universities in co-creating innovation ecosystems in close cooperation with business and public policy-makers.

The conference offered participants in-depth discussion, exchange of good practices and networking, and contributed to shaping a common vision of a Euro-Mediterranean higher education area based on cooperation, sustainable development and inclusive partnership.