MedCities participated in the 2nd edition of the Mediterranean Green Week in Brussels. The event brought together the 43 UfM Member States, together with a broad range of stakeholders, including funding institutions, local to national governments, civil society and expert organisations, like MedCities, promoting collaborative dialogue on key energy, environment, climate and water issues.
→ MedCities reaffirmed its commitment to fostering international cooperation and strengthening policy transfer across its network, turning legal frameworks into tangible actions on the ground.
During the meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Environment and Climate Action, MedCities, represented by Carolina Pérez Valverde (Head of Policy and Knowledge Transfer), introduced the Natural Heritage Mission —one of the four Missions within the Interreg Euro‑MED Programme— which brings together 18 projects bridging governance and practice. All Mission’s projects are rich in tools and instruments, with great potential to upscale and deliver a more resilient mediterranean ecosystem. MedCities underscored the importance of integrated governance and cross-sectoral collaboration to address sea level rise, with a special focus on the project MedSeaRise which develops a methodology to develop reliable coastal risk assessments at very local level, enhancing coastal resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable urban planning. The intervention illustrated how national legislation, such as the Nature Restoration Law, can be operationalised at city and regional levels, aligning with SDG 11 (“Sustainable Cities and Communities”) and SDG 14 (“Life Below Water”).
The discussion highlighted the Mission’s strategic efforts on policymaking, notably the policy recommendations on the EU Nature Restoration Law and target 2 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, launched in early 2025. This ‘live’ document presents the Natural Heritage Mission’s position in regards to tackling restoration targets across both land and marine environments in Mediterranean territories.
