Last week marked an important milestone as the Clima-Med project held its final Steering Committee Meeting in Brussels, celebrating seven years of dedicated climate action across the Mediterranean. The emotion in the room was palpable, reflecting the strong sense of community fostered through years of collaboration, shared challenges, and collective triumphs.
Presided over by EU officials Cristina Casella, Program Manager for Climate Action, DG MENA, and Andrea Vera, Head of Sector for Connectivity, Environment, and Climate, along with the Clima-Med team, the event was more than a formal conclusion. It was a celebration of achievements, a recognition of commitment, and a reaffirmation of the ongoing climate journey that will continue beyond the project’s end. Partners testified to the project’s achievements, experts showcased the depth of work accomplished, and local stakeholders and national authorities demonstrated their unwavering dedication.
More than 80 participants attended, both in person and online, representing beneficiary cities, ministries, partner organisations, and associations of cities.
The Power of Local Climate Action
Andrea Vera opened the meeting capturing the essence of Clima-Med’s mission. Since 2018, the EU-funded project has catalysed climate action in the Southern Neighbourhood, supporting Middle East and North African countries in their transition to a greener economy. Working with central governments to improve climate governance and with local authorities to develop Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SEACAPs), Clima-Med has touched millions of lives across 80 cities.
“Cities in the MENA region, responsible for over 70% of global emissions, are key drivers of climate solutions,” Mr Vera emphasised. He highlighted the creation of the Covenant of Mayors for the Mediterranean initiative (CoM Med), one of the project’s outstanding achievements which has become a fast-growing initiative with soaring interest from cities and mayors due to Clima-Med’s efforts in raising awareness about the importance of local climate action.
Legacy Tools: Resources That Will Endure
The Clima-Med team presented the valuable learning tools that will continue serving Mediterranean cities: The Climate Action Strategies for each country, the SEACAP Preparation Manual, and the Climate Finance Guidebook. These resources, developed through years of practical experience and collaboration, represent a living legacy of knowledge transfer. Alongside these tools, the team showcased flagship projects and inspiring success stories demonstrating real, measurable impact across the region and corroborating that climate commitments can indeed translate into tangible community benefits.
Strengthening National Support for Local Climate Action
Discussion emphasised that national support for local climate action must be formalised within NDC frameworks. Testimonials from Palestine brought perspectives shaped by profound challenges, emphasising that municipalities have acquired clear visions with priority projects to address and adapt to climate change effects.
Omar Sharquia, National Focal Point in the Ministry of Local Government, announced the official establishment of both the National Coordination Group (NCG) and the SEACAP Support Mechanism (SSM), with tasks approved by government decision. The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities will provide needed technical assistance, demonstrating institutional commitment. He added: “We hope that good practices and lessons learned, especially in Gaza, are incorporated into reconstruction plans and guidelines”.
Participants from Lebanon advocated for a balanced approach where national governments support municipalities with both freedom of action and control, a hybrid model of “guided localism” where national governments set goals and provide resources while municipalities retain flexibility.
The Need for Institutionalisation
Representatives emphasised that despite significant challenges, new governmental commitments provide opportunities to institutionalise climate support as a permanent feature of national governance rather than a temporary project intervention. They discussed the importance of their SEACAP as a document for sustainability, stressing the need for substantial financial resources, technical skills, and stakeholder involvement.
Souad Zeidi, General Secretary of the Moroccan Association of Municipal Council Presidents (AMPCC), underscored the importance of ongoing support to ensure the effective utilisation of SEACAPs.
Jilali Sounni, Deputy mayor of Figuig, reinforced this message, insisting on institutionalising climate concerns at the national level by introducing the climate approach into municipal action plans. The goal is to ensure SEACAPs become integral to municipal operations rather than dependent on individual champions.
The consensus was that institutionalisation at multiple levels, municipal, regional, and national, is essential for overcoming continuity challenges.
Mediterranean Perspective: Technical Support and Credibility
Compelling insights from Lebanon were shared, such as the SEACAP roadmap developed with the CEDRO V programme, which provided a long-term sustainable energy strategy. Installing 24 solar PV systems across 14 villages powered healthcare centres, schools, municipal buildings, and libraries, improving services while reducing pollution.
Nouha Ghossaini, former mayor, revealed how Clima-Med helped Lebanese municipalities overcome challenges and multidimensional crises through a common methodology and facilitated cooperation with European institutions.
Municipalities have acquired clear visions through priority projects that address and adapt to climate change effects, incorporating SEACAP priorities and themes into their strategic development plans. “The SECAPs have addressed the municipalities’ needs, helping to alleviate ongoing challenges and issues. The support provided has made a meaningful difference in our ability to respond,” noted Faten Abou Al Hassan, from Lebanon’s Ministry of Interior & Municipalities.
Building Municipal Technical Capacity
Clima-Med trained over 600 municipal staff across 300+ workshops, addressing gaps in climate planning expertise, but ongoing capacity building remains necessary. Georges Youssef, former GCoM Board member and Mayor of Menjez, emphasised that “South Mediterranean cities want to be included in international programs to improve their credibility and mobilise financing, particularly through the Green Climate Fund and private investors”. He noted that CoM Med has offered structured and progressive technical assistance to align municipalities’ efforts with international and national climate commitments.
The Critical Role of Awareness Raising
In facing climate change, raising awareness emerged as a major challenge. Jordan’s Karak municipality appreciated how SEACAPs focus on raising employees’ awareness and showcased how this approach inspired the Green Directorate Competition to advance municipal capacity. The results were described as astonishing, demonstrating how climate action can be institutionalised locally.
Yet challenges in raising climate awareness remain: lack of knowledge and understanding, resistance to behavioural change, difficulty reaching target audiences, and conflicting agendas with daily life priorities.
Strategic Partnerships: Scaling Impact
The GAP Fund collaboration highlighted how partnerships accelerate regional efforts. Helena Monteiro, Global Engagement Lead at GCoM-GAP Fund, highlighted the rich collaboration with Clima-Med and CoM Med, noting, “The collaboration provided invaluable knowledge about city needs while helping connect municipalities with financiers by aligning SEACAPs with national priorities. The partnership has expanded from Egypt to Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, demonstrating scalability”.
Concluding Reflections: A Legacy of Hope and Resilience
As the meeting ended, the concluding remarks captured the emotional and professional significance of the moment.
Nadya Boneva, Practice Leader at DAI, expressed gratitude to the European Commission, national focal points, mayors, and colleagues, noting that beyond technical achievements, the project fostered a sense of community celebrating resilience and hope.
Naguib Amin, Clima-Med Team Leader, offered an inspiring vision: “The project leaves us with a legacy of passionate commitments, innovative capabilities, and resilient institutions. Every day, we receive collaboration requests from governments and cities across 19 CoM Med countries, demonstrating we’re making a positive impact and that cities in the south Mediterranean are on the right course.
Cristina Casella concluded with heartfelt words: “It has been a real honour to work with this team because they have been absolutely outstanding on a professional level, but also personally. I’ve always had much pleasure seeing them and communicating with them, a lot.” She thanked the team for their relentless efforts and commitment in delivering high-quality results and concrete achievements, noting that “everything the project has created has had sustainability and continuation in mind”. She looks forward to the continuation of its impact through new initiatives focused on energy and city support.
A Beginning, Not an End
The final Steering Committee meeting was not merely a conclusion but a transition from a structured project to an enduring movement. Tools have been created, capacities built, networks established, and commitment proven.
The emotion felt in that Brussels meeting room was not just nostalgia for what had been accomplished but hope and determination for what lies ahead. Seven years of Clima-Med have demonstrated that when local knowledge and commitment meet international support and technical expertise, transformative climate action becomes inevitable.
The project may be ending, but the climate movement it helped build across the Mediterranean is just beginning to show its full potential.