The Executive Committee unanimously adopted the New Strategic Action Plan for the next two years. The priorities were defined through a consultation process, ensuring broad alignment and input. ASCAME’s new guidelines reflect a unified vision supported by a focused strategy and strong operational feasibility. It is structured around three main pillars:
Positioning ASCAME as the natural interlocutor for the Mediterranean Pact.
Strengthening the institution’s external dimension by consolidating its role as the leading business platform in the region.
Enhancing its internal dimension by maximizing the added value provided to member Chambers.
The active involvement of all member Chambers remains fundamental to ASCAME’s mission and impact. Their engagement not only reinforces the legitimacy of our collective decisions but also ensures that the association’s priorities reflect the diversity, needs, and ambitions of the Mediterranean business community. A clear demonstration of this commitment has been the extensive series of bilateral meetings that Dr. Santacreu has held throughout the year with a large number of ASCAME member Chambers. He aims to meet with all of them in the coming months, further strengthening dialogue, alignment, and cooperation across the network.
Positioning the Mediterranean Private Sector before EU Institutions: The New Pact for the Mediterranean
One of Dr. Santacreu’s primary objectives at the start of his presidency of ASCAME was to establish direct dialogue with the key actors of the European ecosystem. This priority materialized through a high‑level institutional mission to Brussels last July, during which the ASCAME delegation met with the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Ms. Dubravka Šuica, and members of the European Parliament. The objective was to ensure that the private sector’s perspective is fully reflected in the Pact for the Mediterranean’s implementation and in future Euro-Mediterranean policies.
In this first year, ASCAME held several high-level exchanges with the European institutions:
In the framework of the mission to Brussels, ASCAME met Mr. Ben Butters, Chief Executive Officer at Eurochambres, to explore new ways of collaboration between the two organisations.
In May, the Association met with Mr. Thomas Wagnsonner, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee and Rapporteur of the recently adopted Opinion on the Pact for the Mediterranean entitled “The Role of the Private Sector and Civil Society in Strengthening Economic Cooperation within the Pact”.
One month earlier, ASCAME visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The delegation of our institution was asked to brief some MEPs from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean. It was a great opportunity to engage with key members of the Parliament and present ASCAME's mission, which is to connect the region's main economic actors by fostering economic development, strengthening Euro‑Mediterranean cooperation, and promoting deeper regional integration, with the private sector as a central driving force.
In April, Dr. Santacreu participated in the European Parliament hearing “A New Co‑Ownership for the Future of Euro‑Mediterranean Relations – The Pact for the Mediterranean”, organised by MEP Nicola Zingaretti, Rapporteur of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The session brought together key Mediterranean stakeholders to contribute to the Pact’s implementation report. ASCAME conveyed two core messages: the need to fully integrate the voice of the private sector into the design and implementation of the Pact, and the fundamental role of ASCAME’s network of Chambers of Commerce as an intermediary between institutions and businesses.
Giving Voice to the Mediterranean Private Sector
at the Region’s Most Influential Events
ASCAME’s leading role in the region’s highest-level Mediterranean events reaffirms the Association’s commitment to ensuring that companies and Chambers of Commerce play a central role in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and in advancing the implementation of the Pact for the Mediterranean.
In addition, two key sectoral events will take place this year. The first is MedaCity Forum 2026, the Mediterranean Cities Economic Forum, which will be held in Cagliari (Italy) this October and co-organised with the Camera di Commercio di Cagliari-Oristano. The second is the upcoming edition of the Euro-Mediterranean Economic & Business Forum - The Piraeus Summit, scheduled for 18-19 November in Athens (Greece) and organised by the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the IEMed, in collaboration with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
ASCAME’s Presence in Key External Events
ASCAME has been strongly represented at high‑profile external events in both the Mediterranean and African regions. Events such as the Barcelona Economic and Social Forum and MedCat Days featured Dr. Santacreu, who highlighted the need for a renewed relationship between Europe and its neighbourhood based on co-responsibility, co-creation, and shared prosperity. Another good example is the Spanish Algerian Business Forum, organized in May in Barcelona by ASCAME, the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, and the Forum d’Affaires Algéro Espagnol (F2AE) to boost bilateral opportunities. Dr. Santacreu underlined Algeria’s growing strategic relevance for Spain, the Mediterranean region and the African continent.
Finally, ASCAME hosted the SMAC (Sustainability Model for Accommodation MSMEs) Project Steering Committee in Barcelona in May, gathering all the partners’ projects coming from Greece, Egypt, Spain, Tunisia, and Türkiye. The ASCAME team, led by Project Managers Ms. Estela Delgado and Mr. Luis Miranda, welcomed all the partners and highlighted the project's impact in creating jobs, supporting local economies, and connecting communities across the region. The project, which tackles the urgent need for sustainability in the tourism sector by supporting accommodation MSMEs, counts on the participation of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Tunis, and the Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEEBA), as partners and members of ASCAME, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia as an associated partner of the project and an ASCAME member.
Strengthening Governance Reforms
A renewed governance approach has been launched to reinforce the value delivered to its member Chambers and strengthen the network's cohesion. A key element of the governance reform has been to identify the current number of Chambers that form part of ASCAME and to launch a reflection process to attract additional Chambers that can further strengthen the community.
As part of this effort, we have expanded participation to new Chambers from Syria (Damascus Chamber of Commerce and Lattakia Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the Sultanate of Oman, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services, and Navigation of Murcia, the Chambre de Commerce, d’Industrie et d’Agriculture de Mauritanie (CCIAM), and other institutional partners, and we are working with several Chambers across the region to support their reactivation. A cornerstone of this reform includes a review of ASCAME’s membership fees, introducing differentiated categories for the Chamber or country holding the Presidency, the Bureau, the Committee, full members, and associate members. We are currently engaging with all members to communicate these reforms and to continue advancing together through a consensual and participatory process.
Another element of this effort is the ongoing process to reactivate and reorganize ASCAME’s Commissions. The objective is to ensure that the Commissions add value to the Chambers and serve as think tanks for ideas, proposals, and programmes related to key sectors of the Mediterranean.
In addition, the Bureau members — responsible for guiding ASCAME’s strategic vision, governance, and high‑level decision‑making — represent 10 countries: five from the Northern Mediterranean and five from the Southern, ensuring a balanced representation between both shores of the region.
📍 THE INTERVIEW
Interview with Dr. Josep Santacreu, President of ASCAME: “We have a unique opportunity to mobilize the region's private sector in shaping and implementing the Pact for the Mediterranean”
In an interview published by our partner Unioncamere, the President of ASCAME, Dr. Josep Santacreu, highlights the strategic importance of the Pact for the Mediterranean and the need for the private sector to play a central role in its implementation. He stresses ASCAME’s unique position as the main bridge between EU institutions and the region’s businesses, ensuring the Pact delivers real impact on growth, jobs, investment, and shared prosperity.
Key priorities include business cooperation, connectivity, skills, innovation, competitiveness, green and blue economy, and stronger ties with Southern Mediterranean countries. He also underlines the role of civil society, Chambers of Commerce, and SMEs, calling for deeper cooperation with Eurochambres to strengthen Mediterranean priorities at the EU level.
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