Climate Action Plan for the Mediterranean launched

As the Mediterranean faces growing climate risks, 43 countries have launched the development of the region's first-ever Climate Action Plan under the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). The initiative was announced during the 3rd UfM Mediterranean Green Week, held from 30 June to 3 July 2026, and marks a major step towards coordinated regional action on climate change.

Often associated with luscious beaches, long lunches and rich culture, the Mediterranean region is also become a climate change hot spot, putting its cultural traditions and livelihoods at risk. It is warming 20% faster than the global average. This exposes already strained ecosystems and economies in the region to rising temperatures, reduced rainfall, longer droughts, rising sea levels and more intense wildfires. The launch of the plan came as a historic heatwave gripped Europe, underlining the urgency of strengthening climate action and resilience.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental organisation bringing together the EU Member States with neighbouring Southern and Eastern Mediterranean nations to promote regional cooperation on shared regional challenges. Recognising the region's particular vulnerability to climate change, UfM Ministers of Environment and Climate Action adopted a Ministerial Declaration in 2021 committing to enhanced climate ambition, adaptation and resilience, mobilisation of climate finance, sustainable management of natural resources, and a just transition.

The new Climate Action Plan will turn those political commitments into practical cooperation. It will be developed throughout 2026, linking national climate strategies with cross-border projects, helping to align climate finance around shared priorities and creating new opportunities for cooperation on common challenges. No Mediterranean country can address these challenges alone. The new plan, tailored to the Mediterranean's unique characteristics, aims to provide the regional response needed to strengthen resilience and accelerate climate action. Although the plan is still under development, this first exchange between the 43 Members States of the UfM marks an important milestone and paves the way for concrete cooperation that will translate shared ambition into action.