The process of western Mediterranean cooperation – known as 5+5 Dialogue – was launched by France in 1983, but was only officialised in 1990. The aim was to strengthen political dialogue and cooperation in areas of mutual interest for the countries of the western Mediterranean basin and to promote the economic development of the Maghreb.
// A structure coordinated politically by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ten western Mediterranean countries, 5+5 Dialogue comprises:
_ 5 countries in southern Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Malta;
_ 5 countries in the North Africa: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.
This dialogue structure is replicated more informally through sectoral ministries in the fields of Internal Administration (including migration), Defence, Transport, the Environment, Tourism and, more recently, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Agriculture and Food Safety.
// 5+5 Dialogue | Tourism
Tourism was included as a theme of the 5+5 Dialogue at the 1st Meeting of Tourism Ministers in May 2006 in Hammamet, Tunisia. The outcome of this first meeting was the Hammamet Declaration that brings together a set of proposed actions to promote Tourism among the 10 Dialogue countries.
The Ajaccio Declaration was approved at the 2nd Meeting of Tourism Ministers, held in Ajaccio in Corsica in May 2008. This declaration set forth proposals for specific collaboration with a view to developing Tourism within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, highlighting the importance of Tourism as a factor in bringing people together and fostering understanding between them, and as a vector for socioeconomic and cultural development.
The 3rd Meeting of Tourism Ministers was held in Lisbon on 3 December 2014, thanks to a political commitment made during the Portuguese joint-presidency of 5+5 Dialogue, signed in May 2014. "Human Capital" was the main theme of the meeting, the aim being to acknowledge the importance of enhancing the worth of Tourism-related training and professions, as well as to deepen research as a necessary tool to support business decision-making. Each country’s points of view on the importance of training, knowledge and human potential in the development of Tourism were discussed during the meeting. The Meeting of Tourism Ministers ended with the signing of the Lisbon Declaration.
The 4th Meeting of Tourism Ministers took place in Morocco in July 2016. The theme was "Le Tourisme et les Changements Climatiques" and the Casablanca Declaration was signed by all participating countries.
Since this date there have been no further meetings of the Tourism Working Group.
