The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean at the Centro Studi Parlamentari del Mediterraneo conference on Democracy and Parliamentarism in the Mediterranean
8 July 2025, Rome, Italy – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), represented by its President, Hon. Giulio Centemero (Italy), contributed to the conference “Democracy and Parliamentarism in the Mediterranean Region”, organized at the Italian Parliament, by the Centro Studi Parlamentari del Mediterraneo (CESPAM), at the initiative of Hon. Nazario Pagano, President of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
CESPAM is a cultural and legal research center dedicated to fostering a shared constitutional vision for the Mediterranean.
Among its core objectives, CESPAM seeks to: facilitate a multilateral platform for dialogue among parliaments, academia, civil society, and international institutions; launch a participatory drafting process of a “Constitution of the Mediterranean” inspired by the PAM Chart of the Mediterranean, pluralist democracy and human dignity; and develop symbolic and normative tools to guide institutional action in response to environmental, migratory, political, and social crises.
The event was attended by several high-level Italian authorities and distinguished guests. Among them: Hon. Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament; Hon. Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Hon. Nazario Pagano President of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament; Dr. Davide A. Ambroselli, Director of CESPAM; and Professor Matteo Lorito, Rector of the University of Naples Federico II.
In addition, the conference was attended by several ambassadors and diplomatic representatives accredited to Italy.
In his address, President Centemero underlined the relevance and timeliness of the initiative promoted by CESPAM. President Centemero emphasized that such a vision should not be considered as a utopian exercise, but rather as a meaningful and pragmatic project, grounded in the conviction that dialogue between legal systems, the exchange of legislative traditions, and mutual recognition can give rise to a shared legal and ethical space for the Mediterranean.
Hon. Centemero further recalled the spirit of the Charter of the Mediterranean, unanimously adopted by PAM Member States in 2008 during its Third Plenary Session in Monaco. This document, the outcome of an inclusive parliamentary process, outlines a clear vision for the future of the Mediterranean: a region of united civilizations, grounded in the principles of the rule of law, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and intergenerational responsibility.
He reaffirmed PAM’s commitment to the essential role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting institutional dialogue and shared responses to common challenges. In this spirit, he also highlighted PAM’s ongoing contribution to the new European Pact for the Mediterranean, launched by Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, herself a former PAM Vice-President, as a historic opportunity to strengthen regional cohesion through a coordinated, multilevel, and human-centered approach.
PAM appreciates cooperation with CESPAM to envisage joint initiatives aimed at promoting parliamentary dialogue, legal harmonization, and the development of shared principles rooted in democracy, human rights, and regional stability across the Mediterranean. //