The next Commission is to include a portfolio on the Mediterranean, underscoring the geopolitical importance the EU attaches to the neighbouring region, Euronews reports.
Jordan and Morocco are next in line for wide-ranging deals with the European Union in a bid to stem the illegal arrival of migrants and boost trade ties, the future commissioner for the Mediterranean told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Dubravka Šujca told European lawmakers in Brussels during a three-hour hearing that she would focus on signing so-called strategic and comprehensive partnerships with third countries if she won a second term in the EU executive responsible for the Mediterranean portfolio. She said:
We will propose comprehensive strategic agreements with each and every state, be it with Middle East, be it with Africa, be it with Gulf countries. Negotiations have started with Jordan and we are aiming with Morocco. We think these two countries can be helpful for us and we can be helpful to them.