On 13 July 2022, the Brussels International Center (BIC) organized a webinar event called “The Water-Climate Nexus: Avenues for EU-MENA Cooperation” that gathered experts on the different levels of climate change and water scarcity through the lens of inter-continental EU-MENA cooperation.
Malte GALLEE, Member of the European Parliament from the Greens/EFA, explained the challenges but also opportunities for curbing climate change strategies on the ground, noting that, “EU has good experience in strengthening local networks and municipalities to share knowledge”. Expanding further on these context-specific difficulties, he noted that to support the MENA countries with useful policies the EU has to take into account the special circumstances of every country and the current governance situation.
Silvia CRESCIMBENI, Policy Officer at DG Clima – European Commission, spoke of the priorities that the European Commission is taking on climate change in the region. She further gave detailed figures using the Mediterranean as an example. According to Silvia, "without additional mitigation measures, the regional (Mediterranean) temperature is expected to raise 2.2 degrees".
Ana CASCAO, Independent Researcher on Transboundary Water Management, followed the discussions and highlighted how climate is becoming extremely politicized. According to Ana, stakeholders are not addressing the real problem of climate change and its consequences.
Nadim HOURY, Executive Director at the Arab Reform Initiative, responded to some of the key issues raised during the discussion and highlighted three future-oriented recommendations, namely:
- Mobilise to create, and protect, the civic space
- Place inclusion at the heart of green transitions
- Work on more decentralized green strategy, including green financing
A question-and-answer session followed the interventions that was moderated by Clementine Lienard, Climate Security Analyst at the BIC. A discussion paper that proposes concrete policy recommendations based on this event will be published by the BIC in the coming weeks.