MedaCity Forum 2025, the Mediterranean Cities Economic Forum, concluded last Friday at the Cagliari Fair Congress Centre with great success, attracting strong participation of Mediterranean institutions and businesses and providing real visibility and practical solutions to the common challenges faced by the region’s cities. This flagship ASCAME event, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano and the Municipality of Cagliari, with the support of ASCAME and Unioncamere, reaffirmed its position as the leading summit for fostering economic cooperation, driving urban innovation, and promoting sustainable development among Mediterranean cities. On one hand, the summit brought together institutional leaders, representatives of Chambers of Commerce, international experts, academics, and businesses to shape the future of Mediterranean cities. On the other hand, the event underscored the pivotal role of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce as strategic actors in regional cooperation and drivers of the transition toward more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban models.
The forum featured three thematic sessions. The first one was “Housing Strategies in Mediterranean Cities”, where panelists debated on the ongoing transformation of Mediterranean cities driven by continuous urban population growth, rising housing costs, and increasing difficulty, especially for young people and families, in accessing dignified and affordable housing solutions. They also talked about the loss of social and community spaces, which are essential for urban quality of life. In this context, innovation and urban regeneration become key tools for rethinking housing.
The next session was “The Mediterranean as a Sustainable Tourism Destination: The Role of Cities”, where experts and representatives from different countries and sectors shared visions, experiences, and best practices for a more equitable and sustainable tourism future. In this case, the debate focused on key topics such as the role of cities in shaping sustainable tourism, innovation in tourism, community engagement and social inclusion, and public-private partnerships.
The third session was “Port Development and Urban Mobility in the Mediterranean”, where panelists concurred that ports are not just logistical infrastructures: “They are true urban hubs that influence mobility, the environment, and the quality of urban life”. According to them, in the context of growing urbanization and ecological transition, rethinking the integration between port development and sustainable mobility becomes crucial. This roundtable offered a shared vision for a more connected and resilient future.
A particularly notable moment focused on youth engagement, with presentations by the winners of the “Hack the Street” hackathon, who proposed concrete solutions for sustainable mobility in Mediterranean cities.
These exchanges highlighted common pressures —from rising housing costs and tourism impact to port management challenges— while showcasing innovative solutions based on territorial cooperation and knowledge exchange. The Mediterranean Chamber network emerged as a strategic facilitator of dialogue among institutions, businesses, and civil society, promoting multi-stakeholder platforms and supporting startups and SMEs active in crucial sectors such as clean energy, circular economy, intelligent mobility, and climate adaptation.
Mr. Anwar Zibaoui, General Coordinator of ASCAME, highlighted: “Chambers of Commerce have a unique position as essential connectors between local governments and the private sector, enabling the co-creation of innovative urban solutions. By fostering multi-stakeholder platforms, they drive inclusive and sustainable urban development. They actively support companies and sectors committed to sustainability and promote forward-looking urban policies, sustainability-based solutions, and investments in resilient infrastructures”.
Mr. Maurizio de Pascale, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano, added: “Mediterranean cities face shared challenges —from migration flows to pressures on housing and infrastructure— that demand collective responses. During this forum, Chambers of Commerce demonstrated their capacity to foster regional cooperation, build bridges between communities, and support policies and initiatives with a united vision for the future”.
MedaCity 2025: Shaping new pathways for regional cooperation
MedaCity served as a valuable platform for identifying synergies and forging new connections to advance Mediterranean cooperation. A good example of this was the agreement reached between Mr. Maurizio De Pascale, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano, and Mr. Hamza Benabdallah, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Fès-Meknès, to explore new avenues of collaboration aimed at strengthening ties between their respective regions. In the same spirit, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Benghazi, which is also a member of ASCAME, seized the opportunity to explore new forms of cooperation across the Mediterranean.
Another great example was the pre-event session “The EU Interreg NextMed Programme – Meeting with the Managing Authority”. This was an exclusive session for ASCAME’s members, focused on making cooperation happen in the Mediterranean with one of the largest EU-funded external cooperation programmes in the Med Sea Basin, as the Interreg NEXT MED Programme. The project, running more than 175 projects, enables connections and builds bridges among thousands of communities and organisations, as well as providing collective solutions that improve lives across the region. Sustainable growth is one of the main objectives to turn challenges into opportunities and foster resilience and a thriving Mediterranean future.
Participants had the opportunity to engage directly with the programme’s leadership and explore potential synergies. This seminar featured a presentation by representatives of the Interreg NextMed Managing Authority. They shared preliminary results from the first two calls for proposals and outlined upcoming activities and funding opportunities. The session counted with the participation of Mr. Emanuele Cabras, Euromediterranean Cooperativo Advisor at the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano, and Mr Alaa Ezz, Secretary General at CEEBA – Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations, and the Federation of Egyptian Chambers.