Catalan foreign minister urges EU to 'formalize' Mediterranean macro-region this year  

Catalonia's Minister for Foreign Affairs and the EU, Meritxell Serret, has urged the European Council to start work to "formalize" the Mediterranean macro-region before the end of the year. 

Addressing media in Dubrovnik, Croatia on Wednesday, Serret urged Spain, the current holders of the council presidency, to put the issue on the table and start the necessary steps so that the macro-region is "a reality" as soon as possible. 

The foreign minister was speaking with with Nikola Dobroslavić, president of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, as part of her tour of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans. 

Dobroslavic agreed on the need to promote the Mediterranean macro-region, and to "pressure" the respective governments to make it a reality. 

Formalizing the macro-region would enable countries and regions to face common challenges together "as soon as possible," such as climate change or the sustainability of the Mediterranean, Serret said. 

Barcelona summit 

The foreign minister's meeting in Dubrovnik came just two days before Barcelona is due to host a macro-region summit on Friday, with representatives from 13 regional and local governments from seven different countries set to attend. 

Some of the regions taking part include Calabria, Shköder, Occitania, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, as well as Montpellier and Tangier councils. Representatives of institutions such as the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the Union for the Mediterranean will also attend. 

The Mediterranean macro-region would be the fifth to be adopted by the EU, following the Baltic Sea Region (2009), the Danube Region (2010), the Adriatic and Ionian Region (2014) and the Alpine Region (2015).  

Making Catalan official in EU  

In her meeting with the president of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Serret also addressed the ongoing request to grant Catalan official status in the EU. 

The minister said Catalonia continues to press the Spanish government to move the request forward "as quickly as possible." 

They remain in contact with EU states over guaranteeing support to make Catalan official.