Between 13 and 15 June 2022, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Regional Program Political Dialogue and Regional Integration South Mediterranean (PolDiMed) and the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC) jointly organized the first annual KAS-MEDAC Alumni Circle entitled ‘Discussion on the Future of the Euro-Mediterranean Relations’ in St. Julian's, Malta.

The conference marked the official launch of the KAS-MEDAC Alumni network after successfully completing their Master of Diplomacy (M.Dip.) programme. It gathered KAS-MEDAC alumni from the different cohorts along with decision makers and experts from the Mediterranean region. The annual event was a great opportunity for the alumni to enrich their list of professional contacts by integrating in the vibrant KAS and MEDAC networks. Likewise, they got to discuss the most recent developments facing both shores of the Mediterranean, bringing new insights to the debate as young diplomats.

This year, the conference consisted of two lively panel discussions followed by a field visit to a Euro-Med historical institution and an official ceremony. The first panel discussion examined the prospects of the Euro-Mediterranean relations where the panelists and participants addressed a plethora of questions in relation to geopolitics, development, security, migration, democracy, to name a few. The second panel tackled economic development and job creation in the region where the speakers and participants shed light on the most pressing challenges facing the region’s economies and outlined a set of recommendations to stimulate sustainable economic growth.

The conference was concluded by an official ceremony held to welcome the KAS-MEDAC Alumni to the network. In-between dinner, Dr. Evarist Bartolo, former Minister for European and Foreign Affairs of Malta and Dr. Abdelkader El Khissassi, Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean both delivered keynote speeches to the alumni and distinguished guests in which they stressed the importance of fostering mutual understanding between the future generations and strengthening multi-dimensional cooperation between the Mediterranean countries to achieve stability and prosperity.