The first MED Regions Resilience Forum was held on 14 May 2026 at Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante, Spain. The forum brought together institutional representatives, policymakers and experts from across the Mediterranean to address shared challenges linked to climate change and natural hazards, including wildfires, floods, desertification and water scarcity.
The forum opened with welcome remarks by Andrés Perelló, Director of Casa Mediterráneo, and Ruth Merino, Secretary for EU and Regional Representation of the Generalitat Valenciana, who underlined the importance of reinforcing regional cooperation in the face of increasing climate-related risks.
The programme included a keynote speech by Laurent Alfonso (EU Civil Protection Mechanism) on civil protection and disaster risk reduction, and Joan Borrell (Union for the Mediterranean), who presented the strategic vision 2025–2030 for stability and resilience in the Mediterranean.
A high-level panel moderated by Vincent Ernoux (Interreg NEXT MED) gathered Vicente Martínez Mus (Vice President and Regional Minister for Environment, Infrastructure and Recovery of the Generalitat Valenciana), Rosanna Laconi (Regione Sardegna), Sabria Bnouni (Tunisia), Samira Azrak (Morocco) and Patricia di Biase (Region SUD Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur / Interreg NEXT MED National Contact Point). The discussion focused on the importance of a regional agenda on natural risk prevention and the role of cooperation in strengthening preparedness and response capacities across Mediterranean territories.
A second panel, moderated by José Vicente Oliver (Universitat Politècnica de València), addressed the main tools and priorities for a Mediterranean Regional Agenda for Natural Risk Prevention. Participants included María Cruz Ferreira Costa (Region of Murcia), Élodie Nunes (Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions – CPMR), Samira Khodayar (Mediterranean Center for Environmental Studies – CEAM Foundation) and Miriam Gil (Director General for Innovation in Emergencies, Generalitat Valenciana). The debate focused on shared challenges such as water management, forest management, early warning systems and the development of common standards for resilience.
During the session, Raúl Mérida, Commissioner for Recovery of the Generalitat Valenciana, presented the roadmap of the Region of Valencia for a new Mediterranean Agenda on Resilience and Protection against Natural Disasters.
Raquel Aguado, General Director for EU Affairs and Regional Representation of the Generalitat Valenciana, read the Declaration for the establishment of a Mediterranean Regions Alliance for Natural Risk Prevention, known as the Alicante Declaration.
A third panel explored the role of European territorial cooperation as a key instrument for building a more resilient Mediterranean. Moderated by Mercedes Acitores (Interact Programme), it featured contributions from Adam Gauci (University of Malta, Interreg NEXT MED MEDJICARP project) and Miguel Fernández Mejuto (Diputación de Alicante, Interreg Europe NBS4LOCAL and Horizon CLIMAAX projects), highlighting the added value of cooperation programmes in advancing shared solutions.
The forum concluded with broad agreement on the need to move towards a Mediterranean Alliance of Regions for Natural Risk Prevention, and the endorsement of the Alicante Declaration as a step forward in strengthening joint action, knowledge exchange and coordinated resilience strategies across the region.
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