The InterMediterranean Commission, which I am honoured to preside thanks to the support of my friends and colleagues, the Presidents of the Regions, is the venue of the Mediterranean regional authorities. It is a place for expressing ideas and proposals. Whatever the administrative structure of the different countries or their decentralisation policy, the regional authorities are the tier of government that is just below the State. Their competency generally includes economic development and land-use management. Regional government is close to the people and the regional authorities are perceived by the people as being one of the most capable tiers of government to address globalisation issues.

After the Summit of the Heads of State and Government on Union for the Mediterranean held on 13 July 2008 in Paris, our resolute organisation has now entered a new phase in its history and development. We must now play our part in the renewal of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, which is the will of the Heads of State and Government and our own, adamant that we, the Regions, have a special part to play in it.

Together with the States and with all the stakeholders present in the area, we are now called to orchestrate the birth of the Mediterranean of peace, fraternity and development, intent on harbouring mutual respect and on protecting our endangered environment. We shall use our ability to act in this shared space that we value. We shall prove that the Heads of State and Government were right to trust us in article 3 of the final declaration of the Summit of Paris where they underline the highly important role of the Regions in implementing the Barcelona process of Union for the Mediterranean.

The InterMediterranean Commission is also a place of political debate and action where the interests of the Mediterranean regions can be better defended in European policy-making, whether that policy concerns regional development, agriculture, the environment or maritime affairs. It is our desire to promote and coordinate our political and operational action so that, together, we can be more efficient and closer to the everyday realities of our people, fighting for a certain concept of the European ideal and a fairer model for development.

We also want to secure the specific nature of the Mediterranean in globalisation, to shed light on the inestimable quality of our culture, our heritage and our ways of life, and to assert our common destiny.

I would like to wish you all an excellent time on our website. Through it, we shall get to know each other better and develop and exchange views so that we can share in the construction of a Euro-Mediterranean space for dialogue and solidarity.