Portorož, Slovenia, 29 March. Students and professors of the doctoral seminar taking place at EMUNI until 3 April have prepared a round table on the issues in relation to the newly established Union for the Mediterranean.

Dr. Alexander Moll (University of Peruggia, Italy), who chaired the event, opened the debate with an interesting starting point, asking in what extent we are ready to consider the Mediterranean as a region with which we can identify. Dr. Mirjam Milharčič Hladnik from the University of Nova Gorica exposed the problem of migration in relation to the topic. She stressed that the main resources of both, EU and UfM, are people and expressed a concern on the way we treat with the immigrants in the countries of EU. Dr. Touhami Abdouli from the Sousse University (Tunisia) highlighted the practical aspect of the Union in the way that he stressed that good programmes and practical measures are needed for the efficient functioning and development of the UfM.  The event was attended also by the doctoral students and Dr. Ghanem Georg from Syria, who talked above all about the brain drain from the Middle East countries and the un-exploited possibilities of gaining capital from the Gulf countries.

The participants shared the opinion that a major role in establishing and developing of the Union of the Mediterranean will be played by the higher education institutions and that EMUNI can be served as a good instrument how to spread awareness and affiliation to the Mediterranean.