Spain, Italy, Portugal and Mediterranean Dialogue
The Madrid office seeks to strengthen cooperation and political dialogue between representatives from political parties, scientific institutions and civil society organisations from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany and the European sphere. We are committed to help contribute to solutions to specific regional challenges in Southern Europe and highlight best practices from this ever more important region for the European integration process. It also seeks to develop a new approach to interregional cooperation in the Mediterranean. With partner organisations, we are developing a liberal approach to geostrategic demands and opportunities in the Mare Nostrum.
News
-
Early elections are the best option for Prime Minister Sánchez
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called early parliamentary elections for July 23, responding to the PSOE's electoral debacle in Sunday's regional and local elections. This will also affect Spain's EU Council presidency in the 2nd half of this year, which will now start in the hot election campaign phase. Whether voters will ultimately reward this move will also depend on how quickly the opposition can adjust to the new scenario.
-
Lebanon: From a Host Nation to a Port of Departure?
During last week, we hosted a visiting program on Migration with the support of the FNF Lebanon and Syria office. The FNF Madrid Policy Group composed by liberal policy makers and experts from across Europe, North and West Africa, and the Middle East had the opportunity to get to know the reality of migration management in Lebanon first-hand.
-
Climate Change as a Cause for Migration
On May 4th, at the headquarters of the Union of the Mediterranean (UfM) in Barcelona, we presented with the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)our latest joint report titled Climate Change and Migration: Understanding Factors, Developing Opportunities in the Sahel Zone, West Africa, and the Maghreb. This comprehensive report, which is now available for download on our website, represents months of work, including data collection in Senegal and Morocco, interviews with local communities, and statistical analysis.
-
Women filmmakers in the Mediterranean, rising values
The countries of the Mediterranean form a diverse and global space where we can find many differences, but also similarities. If we go to the world of cinema, we can see how in many of these countries, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Morocco, Spain... we find a point of view that is becoming more and more important: that of women.
-
EU Migration Policy Making
The strengthening of legal pathways and cooperation with third countries are key elements for migration management in the European Union (EU), according to liberal policymakers and researchers.
The run-up to the 2024 European elections suggests that the EU will put migration issues at the center of the debate with a special focus on the Mediterranean region, where the mainland entry points to Europe are concentrated.
-
Dialogue, the most radically human instrument
We are in the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace. The steps taken through agreements and conventions by different governments and institutions for greater collaboration and understanding show us the path to follow. The Mediterranean is configured as an ideal space to promote, as it has done so many times throughout its history, a shared story of hopes, dreams and common work.
-
Meloni firmly holds the reins in Rome
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the far-right "Brothers of Italy" party has been in office for about six months. The idea that the head of government of Europe's third-largest economy could take the reins of the right-wing populist camp critical of the EU triggered worry lines in much of the EU. But having arrived in the reality of government responsibility, Meloni has so far led her country's political fortunes in a far less confrontational manner than feared. Time for an initial stocktaking.
Social Media
-
2
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister and leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) has called snap elections on July 23rd after a painful defeat at last weekend’s regional and local elections. “To sum up, Pedro Sánchez is living up to his reputation as a clever tactician. Given the poor starting position after Sunday's elections, early elections are his best option. Whether voters will ultimately reward this move will also depend on how quickly the opposition can adjust to the new scenario. The relationship between the two major parties and the political fringes and regional nationalists will shape the election campaign.” Read the analysis by David Henneberger, FNF Madrid Head of Office here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfknyhb #spainelections #psoe #partidopopular #fnfmad #freedompartners
-
6
FNF Madrid put migration at the center of the debate during the panel discussion “Migration: An Ongoing Challenge for European Unity. Liberal Proposals for Migration Management”, at the ALDE Party – Liberals and Democrats for Europe Congress held in Stockholm last week. Thanks to the participation of renowned liberal policymakers and experts, such as Jan-Christoph Oetjen, MEP (FDP, Germany); Eva-Maria Poptcheva, MEP (Ciudadanos, Spain); António Amaral, Member of the Executive Board of Iniciativa Liberal, Portugal; as well as Mahmoud El Alaily, MENA Liaison Officer and Mirna Mneimneh, Vice President, both representing the Al Hurriya Liberal Network. More than 60 participants joined the panel discussion and had the opportunity to elaborate on EU approaches towards migration and learn from best practices in Germany, Portugal, the Middle East and North Africa. Migration is in the spotlight of the political debate in the run-up to the European elections and the panel has proven that liberals have a word to say. During the panel, the Policy Paper “Coordinating EU External Action on Migration: A Timely Imperative” was launched. The paper is a joint collaboration of the FNF Madrid office and two members of its Migration Policy Group: Jan-Christoph Oetjen and Milosz Hodun, PhD, Member of the Board of Directors of the European Liberal Forum and International officer of the Polish liberal party, Nowoczesna. The Policy Paper sheds a light on the EU migration agenda and the challenges that must be addressed in order to achieve efficient migration management procedures. This is especially true when it comes to EU relations with key third countries. Photo 1 from left to right: Odilia Abreu, Senior Project Manager Mediterranean Dialogue. FNF Madrid (moderator; Jan-Christoph Oetjen, MEP (FDP, Germany); Eva-Maria Poptcheva, MEP (Ciudadanos, Spain); António Amaral, Member of the Executive Board of Iniciativa Liberal, Portugal; Mahmoud El Alaily, MENA Liaison Officer and Mirna Mneimneh, Vice President, both representing the Al Hurriya Liberal Network. https://www.freiheit.org/publikation/coordinating-eu-external-action-migration
-
0
🎥Female filmmakers are on the rise in the Mediterranean 🌊⭐ This article sheds light on today’s female talent scooping up awards and critical acclaim in the Mediterranean. These film gurus are making an impact on society by sharing their values in the stories they tell. It’s a good reminder that sharing bringing our different perspectives into the conversation both on and off screen, has the power to reshape the narrative and promote inclusivity. FNF Madrid are in awe of their passion as it fosters a global environment of empowerment of women and gender equality that we liberals truly believe in. 🎞️💪 📰Check it out here: https://tinyurl.com/4tfecj26 #femalefilmmakers #mediterranean #film #talent #fnfmad #freedompartners
