The future of the Mediterranean depends on our ability to turn borders into opportunities for dialogue, to make the protection of the sea a shared responsibility, and to turn sustainability into a concrete opportunity for development.
In a strategic region where economic interests, geopolitical balances, environmental vulnerabilities, and cultural identities intertwine, cooperation among coastal regions is no longer merely a desirable option but a necessity for building sustainable and inclusive growth prospects.
The recent historic state visit by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, to the Principality of Monaco on October 2 and 3 further underscored the central importance ofprotecting the seasand ensuringenvironmental sustainabilityin their truest sense, while also highlighting the value of the RAMOGE Agreement (RA–Raphaël, Saint-Raphaël, France –MO–Monaco, Principality of Monaco –GE–Genoa, Italy), as a concrete model ofinternational cooperationfor the protection of the Mediterranean, which has been in operation for fifty years now.
And it is precisely within this context that the recent initiative byACLI Terra—the special section of the Italian Christian Workers’ Associations dedicated to the agri-food sector and the environment—fits in, as it is called upon to address the new challenges of protecting marine ecosystems in a strategic cross-border region. In this endeavor, the Principality of Monaco—particularly in light of international initiatives and agreements dedicated to protecting the marine environment—already serves as a key partner in advancing a shared vision for the future of the sea. But how is this Italian-Monegasque synergy actually taking shape? WeaskedNicola Tavoletta (N.T.),President of ACLI Terra since 2022, to describe theapproachadopted to make theBlue Economynot only a model for growth but a paradigm capable of uniting innovation, employment, attractiveness, and the protection of marine biodiversity.
OCM News: Sustainability What partnerships and shared responsibilities can transform cross-border cooperation into a driver of sustainable growth for the regions involved?
N.T.:Relationships can be stable, healthy, and fruitful only when the peoples inhabiting the coastal areas in question measure themselves by their level of civilization, respecting human dignity as the cornerstone of social relationships.Andwhen there is a shift from utilitarianism to personalism as the philosophy that defines the community itself.
OCM News:How Can We Transform the Mediterranean from a Heritage to Be Protected into a Shared Commitment?
N.T.:The Mediterranean is a geographical space—small in the global physical landscape, yet enormous in terms of its spiritual and cultural influence on the planet, as expressed through a self-sustaining educational tradition. The secret lies in selectingteachers fromthe communities that inhabit ittonurture and enhanceMediterranean vitality. The selection of leadership groups leads to establishing priorities and sharing them, including in the fulfillment of mutual interests.
OCM News: How can the Blue Economy combine growth, employment, and protection of the Mediterranean through ACLI Terra’s projects?
N.T.: Everyaction—regardless of how it is classified—whether professional, social, volunteer-based, technical, or commercial—should still becapable of being generative or regenerative. For us,change is regeneration by vocation. We cannot merely be custodians of material possessions; we must be promoters of continuous transformation in pursuit ofsocial progress.
ACLI Terra’s vision, as clearly articulated by its president, therefore aims to strengthenmaritime diplomacythroughscientific cooperation, with the support of CIESM (Editor’s note: International Commission for Studies and Explorations in the Mediterranean, based in Monaco),institutional dialogue, and an alliance among labor organizations, promoting—in the spirit ofJudeo-Christian roots—a shared Mediterranean strategy oriented toward the common good.
