France: President of the PACA Region, Michel Vauzelle, appointed Special Envoy for the Mediterranean

The Regional Council of Provence Alpes Côtes d’Azur officially confirmed on Thursday 13 December that its President Michel Vauzelle will be leading a mission in the Mediterranean at the request of François Hollande, President of France. 

According to the letter of the 20^th September 2012, made available to the public, the head of State assessed that, “the complexity of the dynamics at play in the Mediterranean space call for a renewed approach”. 

François Hollande therefore requested Michel Vauzelle, Vice-President of the Foreign Affairs Commission at the National Assembly, to "promote a Mediterranean based on projects in the framework of ambitious and pragmatic steps, principally orientated towards the definition of shared interests and the implementation of works that will benefit the populations on both sides of the water." This support will draw on support from the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and on the inter-ministerial Mission of the Mediterranean. 

Appointed "Member of Parliament on mission", Michel Vauzelle will pursue this task as of the first of January, a task on which he has been working under his role with the PACA region for the past fourteen years through decentralized cooperation policies with all Mediterranean countries.   

As Vice-President of the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, Michel Vauzelle is also Co-President of the Mediterranean Committee of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Co-President of the Sustainable Development Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM).