The permanent Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean opens in Barcelona, Spain

 

The Union for the Mediterranean officially opened its permanent Secretariat in Barcelona, Spain, on 4 March 2010, in the presence of the former President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, and of the Foreign Ministers of Spain, France, Egypt, and Jordan, and of the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fule, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu.

The Permanent Secretary at the head of this new institution shall be the Jordanian former diplomat Ahmed Jalaf Masade.

This arrival reinforces the role and position of Barcelona, one of the capitals of the Mediterranean, on the international stage.

United Cities and Local Governments, whose World Secretariat is also based in Barcelona, and whose presence featured at the inauguration ceremony, celebrates this event, which heralds new potential for the UfM both for action, in the areas of development and economic and cultural exchange, and for new synergies.