Foreign minister visits Tunisia to work toward Mediterranean macroregion

Catalonia's foreign minister, Meritxell Serret, traveled to Tunisia on Tuesday evening to spend two days in the country, seeking to strengthen links with northern Africa.

Speaking with the Catalan News Agency, she said she wants to work on the creation of a Mediterranean macroregion that includes both shores of the sea.

"With the macroregion, we aim to deal with climate change with more and better cooperation that can have a real impact," she said after a meeting with several NGOs and the United Nations Development Programme in Tunisia.

The Catalan executive is lobbying the EU to create this coordination tool with countries in northern Africa, though Brussels is still yet to define it.

During her trip, Serret also plans to meet with local authorities, think tanks, and international entities – she will also inaugurate the new Catalan government office in Tunis.

Also on the agenda is an event on education organized by the Arab League, in an effort to strengthen links with Arab countries.

Yet, she will not hold any bilateral meetings with Tunisian government representatives.