The Climate Action Plan for the Mediterranean is launched

In light of the growing climate risks facing the Mediterranean, 43 countries have launched the development of the region’s first Climate Action Plan within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). The initiative was announced during the UPM’s third Mediterranean Green Week, held from 30 June to 3 July 2026, and represents a significant step towards coordinated regional action against climate change.

Often associated with idyllic beaches, long meals and a rich culture, the Mediterranean region is also becoming a hotspot for climate change, putting its cultural traditions and livelihoods at risk. It is warming 20 per cent faster than the global average. This exposes the region’s already fragile ecosystems and economies to higher temperatures, lower rainfall, more prolonged droughts, rising sea levels and more intense wildfires. The launch of the plan coincided with a historic heatwave sweeping across Europe, underlining the urgency of stepping up climate action and building resilience.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental organisation bringing together EU Member States and neighbouring countries in the southern and eastern Mediterranean to promote regional cooperation in the face of common regional challenges. Recognising the region’s particular vulnerability to climate change, the UfM’s ministers for the environment and climate action adopted a Ministerial Declaration in 2021 in which they committed to strengthening climate ambition, adaptation and resilience, mobilising climate finance, the sustainable management of natural resources and a just transition. 

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

More information: European Commission.