Main author: Aliboni, Roberto ; Boukhars, Anouar; Mahmoud, Dahan Ahmed; Ferragina, Eugenia; Ayadi, Rym; Quagliarotti, Desirée ; Sessa, Emanuele; Pace, Roderick; Palacios, Alberto; Frigeri, Daniele; Zupi, Marco; Vilasanjuan, Rafael
Coordinator: Roger Albinyana i Daniel Ruiz-Giménez Coderch
Publisher: IEMed
Year: 2016
Place of publication: Barcelona

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This publication is the outcome of the work undertaken after the international conference “The 5+5 Dialogue as a Mechanism of Integration and Regional Cooperation: For a common reflection on the Western Mediterranean” that was held in Barcelona in May 2016.

This policy study is divided in three thematic chapters. The first one, “Political dialogue, regional security and stability”, focuses on the strengthening of democracy in the Western Mediterranean while keeping special attention to the multiple forms of political dialogue and initiatives within the Euro-Mediterranean region. It also offers a review of the security architecture in the Maghreb region, cooperation in the field of defense, and the stability and strength of the countries in the region going forward.

The second chapter, “Economic and development challenges”, reviews the severe repercussions of the crisis on some of the leading economic sectors. It touches upon the state of trade and investment in the Western Mediterranean countries and it gives a broad vision of the utility and the role of transport infrastructures and networks as a mechanism of integration. The concept of a sustainable development is also a challenge that countries need to further commit to and, in this sense, the study of more sustainable plans of water management and energy consumption.

Finally, a third chapter dedicated to “Social challenges, migrations, education and youth” provides a well-rounded explanation to the needs of improving the cooperation between the Western Mediterranean countries by exploiting potential complementarities, not only in the field of migration, but also in the promotion and development of common areas of interest, such as health and education.