Action Committee
for the Mediterranean
for the Mediterranean
“Politics divides, reality unites”
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“Politics divides, reality unites”
2025
Action Committee for the Mediterranean
A comprehensive diagnostic of the Mediterranean region's demographic transformations — the foundation for forthcoming policy proposals and a shared strategy.
In the North, anti-immigration rhetoric is growing louder. In the South, anti-Western sentiments are on the rise. Yet, beyond these political divides, our shared reality tells a different story. Demographics and interdependence are creating connections that politics cannot erase.
The demographic shifts in our region are changing everything. The aging populations in the North need the energy and talent of the youthful South, while the South benefits from the economic opportunities and resources of the North. These dynamics, combined with wealth disparities, are driving us toward a more integrated Euro-Mediterranean region – a future that is already taking shape.
This shared reality means we must act together to address the challenges we face: stabilizing the region, adapting to demographic changes, matching labor markets, creating shared value chains in industry and services, dealing with the effects of climate change, ensuring food security, writing a common narrative and improving cultural integration.
The Action Committee for the Mediterranean aims to make this shared future a reality. Where politics creates obstacles, we focus on solutions. By working together across divides, we can confront our common challenges and take meaningful steps toward a more stable, prosperous, and integrated Mediterranean.
Demographics and interdependence are creating connections that politics cannot erase.
“It is the common interest that creates solidarity. It enables new solutions that were not possible in national forms.”— Jean Monnet
We gather a diverse group of participants, including experts, economists, academics, and civil society representatives, ensuring balanced contributions from across the Mediterranean region.
Through informal and discrete annual forums, we address key challenges by exploring technical, practical, and realistic solutions, fostering open and meaningful debate.
Our permanent secretariat ensures continuity by producing actionable reports, white papers and facilitating consistent follow-ups, laying the groundwork for the long-term success of our initiatives.
Hakim El Karoui
President & Founder
Marc Reverdin
Secretary General & Co-founder
Nathalie Delapalme
Secretary
Bernardino Leon Gross
Treasurer
Pascal Lamy
Institut Jacques Delors, France
Ahlem Gharbi
French MFA, France
Ulrich Deupmann
Brunswick Group, Germany
Hamouda Chekir
Centerview Partners, France
Andrea Manciulli
MedOr Foundation, Italy
Hicham El Habti
UM6P, Morocco
Juan José Escobar Stemmann
Elcano Royal Institute, Spain
The Mediterranean faces a shared future shaped by common challenges: demographics, economic integration, food security, energy, health, culture, etc. Addressing these issues together is essential, but traditional approaches relying on top-down strategies, developed within institutional frameworks, have often failed. Political disagreements stand in the way, leaving little room for meaningful progress.
The Action Committee for the Mediterranean takes a different approach. Rather than imposing institutional solutions, we begin with the realities on the ground.
By focusing on the practical needs and opportunities that connect the region, we aim to shape policies from the ground up. This bottom-up strategy brings together experts, leaders, and decision-makers to work discreetly on concrete, actionable solutions, free from the political deadlock that slows other initiatives.
Our vision is not about building new institutions but about crafting solutions that work. By fostering collaboration on shared priorities, the Committee aims to pave the way for a more integrated, resilient, and prosperous Mediterranean: a future shaped by what unites us, not what divides us.
Our approach is inspired by the groundbreaking work of Jean Monnet’s Action Committee for the United States of Europe, which demonstrated the power of informal collaboration to tackle divisive issues. Monnet’s method of addressing practical challenges through collective action and shared expertise continues to serve as a beacon for our initiative. Like Jean Monnet’s vision for Europe, we believe the Mediterranean’s greatest strength lies in its ability to unite around common goals. This historical example drives our commitment to fostering practical solidarities, ensuring the Mediterranean remains a space of innovation, exchange, and progress.
Address
10 rue du Chevalier de Saint-George
75001, Paris — France