European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Speech by Commissioner Šuica at the Structured Dialogue of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament Brussels, 25 February 2026 Dear Chair, Dear Vice-Chairs, Honourable Members, Thank you for the invitation to today's Structured Dialogue with your Committee. It is always a pleasure to attend as this is an opportunity to exchange and coordinate wi...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Speech by Commissioner Šuica at the Structured Dialogue of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament Brussels, 25 February 2026 Dear Chair, Dear Vice-Chairs, Honourable Members, Thank you for the invitation to today's Structured Dialogue with your Committee. It is always a pleasure to attend as this is an opportunity to exchange and coordinate with you on our external instruments. So, let me briefly outline where we stand regarding my portfolio. On the Pact for the Mediterranean. As you know, we launched it together with our ten Southern Mediterranean partners at the occasion of the 30 th anniversary of the beginning of the Euro-Mediterranean process in Barcelona. Let me thank you all for your support and input in the preparatory phase of the Pact, I am also looking forward to your upcoming Initiative Report later in the year. The launch of the Pact was the beginning of a new chapter of the Euro-Mediterranean relations. We have developed the Pact together with our partners, so it is based on shared ownership and joint responsibility We want to strengthen our cooperation and build a Common Mediterranean Space of peace, prosperity, and stability. The Pact puts forward over 100 actions for regional cooperation. The real success of the Pact will be measured through tangible results for our people and the economies. My services are putting the finishing touches to an action plan which will be a living document with new initiatives added over time. Our aim is to present on a first set of priority initiatives this spring and discuss it in the Leaders meeting in Cyprus in April. We want to deliver tangible results that benefit citizens across the Mediterranean already this year. Now I would like to touch on Gaza and Israel-Palestine. As you know, I attended last week's meeting on Gaza in the context of the Board of Peace in Washington. Following the agreement in the last Foreign Affairs Council in January, the HRVP invited Nikolay Mladenov – the High Representative for Gaza of the Board of Peace - and we welcomed him here in Brussels two days ago. Let me be clear: the EU is not a member of the Board of Peace. But we are committed to working with all partners for security and peace in the region. We want to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803. So, we have to be part of the conversation. This includes: close coordination with our Arab partners and key players in the region, working closely with the High Representative and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a strong engagement with the US and Israel because we cannot make a difference on the ground without them, and engaging with the Palestine Authority around its reform programme. With our support, the Palestine Authority might have a chance to reform and over time return to Gaza in line with point 19 of the Gaza Peace plan. And you can rest assured that we continue to closely monitor and evaluate the EU's support to the Palestinian Authority, making sure it does not fall into wrong hands. The UN Security Council Resolution 2803 provides for the NCAG to be the transitional authority. However, they also need to work with the Palestine Authority which has maintained some presence on the ground in Gaza at operational level. Early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza can only be sustainable if it is anchored in a credible political horizon – which is the two-State solution. I have made clear in Washington that the immediate priority for the early recovery of Gaza is safe access to Gaza for goods and our staff. This includes the possibility for International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) to operate effectively and in accordance with humanitarian principles, and I mentioned this in my exchanges with the different interlocutors, including the Israeli minister Sa'ar. Honourable Members, The reconstruction needs in Gaza will be immense. Our upcoming Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment – done jointly by the EU, the World Bank, and the United Nations – will provide us with a clear roadmap for evidence-based recovery efforts. In the short run, the EU is ready to resume projects that were suspended after 7 October 2023. I am also encouraging the EIB to resume its access to finance operations in Gaza once conditions on the ground allow. Let me also recall here the issue of Israel expanding control over the West Bank. It destabilises the region and it undermines efforts for peace and stability. I also want to say a word on the Palestine Donor Group which we held in November last year and that saw the participation of 60 international partners. We are planning to hold the next meeting soon, and I think we should reflect on how we can use it for coordinating efforts on supporting Gaza as well. Shifting to the broader Middle East, we will continue preparing the Middle East Strategy. More than ever, we need to work towards peace, prosperity, and stability in the region. Because it is also about our very own stability and security in the European Union. Let me do a quick tour de table country-by-country. Our Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership Agreement with Jordan is being rolled out at pace. We adopted the multi-annual package 2025-2027 and we disbursed the first tranche of the Macro- Financial Assistance (250 million Euro). During the first ever EU-Jordan Summit (on 08 January in Amman) we announced the Investment Conference on 21 April in Jordan. With Lebanon, we remain open for the development of a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership. It will depend on the progress in their banking reforms. IMF discussions with the Lebanese authorities have been constructive, but challenges remain on both banking and fiscal reforms. As you know, we have the 1 billion Euro financial support package announced in May 2024. The first half of the package supports the government's efforts to stabilise the economic and security situation. To complement our Team Europe approach, I will participate at the conference on security in Lebanon, which is organised by President Macron on 5 March in Paris. The EU will also deploy an Electoral Observation Mission at Lebanon's request. With regard to Syria: We are strongly committed to continue supporting Syria's inclusive transition, stability, and security. The Commission welcomes and follows closely the implementation of the Agreement from 30 January. However, we remain concerned about the situation in the North-East and the risk of resurgence of terrorism. It is critical to consolidate institutions, combat the risk of resurgence of terrorism and radicalisation, and ensure a genuinely inclusive transition. We are working on the implementation of the first package of 175 million Euro adopted in 2025. During her visit the Commission President announced 620 million Euro for 2026-2027. We are also working on a revamped format of the Syria Conference for 2026: In this regard we are preparing: a High-Level Political Dialogue in Brussels, an Investment Forum, to support economic recovery in Syria, and thirdly also a follow-up Day of Dialogue with civil society. On Iran, the repression of recent nationwide protests is shocking and unacceptable. Iranians will decide the future of Iran. Therefore, we are willing to step up our support to civil society and explore opportunities for coordination or joint actions with Member States. A military escalation would risk considerable repercussions for regional stability. Regarding Iraq, we are evolving from a post-conflict stabilisation approach to an economic growth and prosperity one. We will upgrade our partnership with Iraq to transition toward a more resilient and sustainable economy. Moving on to North Africa. The first ever EU-EgyptSummit and a high-level business event last October was a great success. Our focus now is on the implementation of the very solid 7.4 billion Euro financial and investment support package until 2027. In June 2025, we had, with your support, adopted a 4 billion Euro Macro-Financial Assistance. The EU-Egypt Investment Platform launched in June 2025 is expected to crowd in up to 5 billion Euro in investments by 2027 via the European Fund for Sustainable Development. Last month, we held the first Association Council with Morocco after seven years. We have launched negotiations towards a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership. The partnership aims to promote investments and trade and strengthen market integration. With Tunisia, since the signature of the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, some progress has been achieved under all of its five priority sectors. And there is potential for further cooperation, but there are also some concerns about democratic backsliding. With regard to Algeria: There is a lot of potential to further develop our cooperation under the Pact for the Mediterranean. I am planning to go to Algeria shortly to take stock of our relations and ongoing matters in the country. As for Libya: We are in a dialogue with the authorities on key areas, such as migration. It is crucial to find ways to reduce the number of irregular departures to Europe. Honourable Members, We also continue to strengthen our collaboration with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The first EU-GCC energy ministerial meeting will take place in Cyprus in May – an important event promoting our collaboration in this strategic policy field. The second EU-GCC summit is being scheduled for the autumn of 2026. To deepen our cooperation, we have proposed to all 6 countries to negotiate Strategic Partnership Agreements. We have already launched negotiations with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, while Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait have also expressed interest to launch negotiations. On Yemen: The situation in the country is volatile. Our support focuses on improving livelihoods. Our support goes into critical sectors such as food security, agriculture, electricity, water services, and job creation. And we are discussing maritime security along major trade routes. Dear colleagues, Allow me to round off with a few horizontal issues that feature prominently in our relations with the countries in the Mediterranean. We are managing migration effectively together with our partners in a whole-of-route manner and in line with fundamental rights. The Commission adopted a Migration Strategy at the end of January. And we want to step up our cooperation. Our Partnerships with Tunisia and Egypt already contain migration management and provide substantive examples of cooperation in this area. The Pact for the Mediterranean includes migration as one of the areas of mutual interest. Increased security cooperation with Mediterranean partners is also essential. In the Mediterranean region, Global Gateway serves as the investment pillar of the Pact. More broadly, under the Pact, EU engagement with the private sector is becoming more strategic and targeted. Together, we are delivering on major developments in transport, energy and digital infrastructure, as well as investing in education, health and research, strengthening regional connectivity, and supporting socio-economic development overall. Over the coming months, we will launch the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative T-MED. It is a major instrument to accelerate large-scale investments in renewable energy and clean tech across the region. While we are preparing T-MED, we are already supporting key investments. Let me give you two projects as an example: Our support to the modernisation of the electricity grid in Egypt which is an important step to new investments in renewable energy and hydrogen. Thanks to the EIB, our grant support will leverage approximately 600 million Euro in support for this project. And we have signed an agreement also with the EIB to support an innovative green hydrogen project (which can be used to produce fertilisers for the EU market). Let me also mention the momentum around the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor - IMEC. IMEC signatories have met several times at senior-official level since last May. Technical working groups are in place to launch concrete infrastructure projects. Overall, IMEC is operating in a difficult geopolitical environment. For a full realisation and maximum prosperity benefits for all we also need a stable Middle East region. Last but not least, Honourable Members, I would like to draw your attention to the first Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement. The report reflects how DG MENA contributed to the Commission's ambitious agenda to boost competitiveness, prosperity, and resilience in the EU. The EU's simplification measures were originally designed for the Single Market. I am committed, however, to extending the benefits to our partner countries, for example, through the Pact for the Mediterranean. I have also held an implementation dialogue with MENA stakeholders. They confirmed their interest to continue working with us and participate in the implementation of the Pact. Thank you very much for your attention, dear colleagues. Now I look forward to your comments and suggestions. SPEECH/26/478 Press contacts: Guillaume MERCIER (+32 2 29 80564) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email
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