Southern Parliaments in Marrakech chart course for Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf economic integration

Participants called for a common framework for these regions, drawing inspiration from successful models like the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA and the European Union-Mercosur agreement. The forum, organized by the Moroccan House of Councillors and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean PAM under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, brought together officials from across the Mediterranean, the Gulf, Africa, and Latin America. The declaration proposes several key initiatives, including a regional center for artificial intelligence to harmonize legislation and strengthen cross-border data governance, and a Mediterranean Development Bank to finance structuring projects.

It also advocates for a Mediterranean Pact for Food Security and Climate Change, aimed at enhancing agricultural resilience in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO, and encourages national parliaments to legislate uniformly on food and agricultural systems. Speakers at the forum, including the president of the Andean Parliament, René Daniel Camacho Quezada, and the president of the Central American Parliament, Carla Lisbeth Pérez Herrera, emphasized the need for concrete actions and tangible results from inter-parliamentary