Adrián Ariel Zittelli Ferrari, Director General for the European Union at the Government of the Region of Murcia, called for a stronger role for local and regional authorities in delivering the Pact for the Mediterranean during a debate on the report Delivering the Pact for the Mediterranean with local and regional authorities at the meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), held at the European Committee of the Regions.
Addressing ARLEM members, Zittelli Ferrari stressed that the transition from policy commitments to practical implementation will only succeed if regional and local authorities are fully involved in shaping, monitoring and delivering Mediterranean policies. He highlighted water resilience as one of the most pressing challenges facing Mediterranean territories and underlined the need for coordinated action across all levels of government.
"It's actually at regional level that the policies are put into practice. We're the ones who deal with emergency situations, water problems. We work with our farmers, our businesses, and our young people. And that's why we need to have multi-level governance working properly, not just in implementation, but also in follow-up and also in setting up the projects in the first place," said Zittelli Ferrari.
Drawing on Murcia's experience, he emphasised that water management and climate adaptation are not optional policy choices but essential conditions for sustainable development in Mediterranean regions. He called for stronger investment and dedicated financing instruments, including through the Common Agricultural Policy, to support water resilience and adaptation efforts. Stressing the need to better connect policy, expertise and implementation, he advocated closer cooperation between regional and local authorities, businesses, research institutions and training centres to develop the skills required to address water scarcity and climate-related challenges. He also proposed the establishment of centres of excellence and sub-regional resilience hubs across the Mediterranean to strengthen knowledge-sharing, research, prevention and preparedness, improve decision-making on water management and climate resilience, and foster cooperation on common challenges such as drought, wildfires and coastal erosion. Murcia, he noted, stands ready to contribute its expertise in water management to support these initiatives and strengthen Mediterranean cooperation.
The report debated by ARLEM reflects many of these priorities. It identifies climate adaptation and water resilience as urgent cross-cutting challenges and calls for dedicated actions and funding to enable local and regional authorities to implement integrated resilience strategies. The report also recognises the strategic role of islands as laboratories for innovation and sustainability, calls for dedicated measures addressing the specific challenges of island, coastal and arid territories, including water scarcity, desalination, water reuse and climate vulnerabilities, and highlights the contribution of local and regional initiatives to the energy transition. Furthermore, it stresses that the Mediterranean's renewable energy potential can only be fully realised through the active involvement of local and regional authorities.
ARLEM (the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly) brings together elected representatives of local and regional authorities from the European Union and partner countries across the Mediterranean. It serves as a political forum for dialogue and cooperation on common challenges, including sustainable development, climate resilience, economic growth and territorial cohesion.
The debate took place in the context of the new Pact for the Mediterranean, the European Union's strategic framework for strengthening cooperation with Mediterranean partner countries. The Pact aims to promote sustainable prosperity, resilience, stability and people-to-people links across the region, while ensuring that local and regional authorities play a central role in translating Mediterranean priorities into concrete results on the ground.