Promoting the extension of the PRIMA programme for scientific cooperation in the Mediterranean, an objective of the Spanish presidency

Since its launch in 2018 within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Region (PRIMA has established itself as an effective instrument for scientific collaboration in the Mediterranean, according to the mid-term evaluation report published on 31 May.

The Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) has this month approved the negotiating mandate for the extension of PRIMA, after the member states and the Commission reached agreement on the text to extend the programme until 2027.

The continuity of the programme is one of the main objectives of the Spanish presidency, which will seek to speed up the approval procedures and achieve the definitive ratification of the text before the end of the year, as acting Minister for Science and Innovation Diana Morant assured the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.

In Morant's words, the PRIMA programme "enables the fight against inequalities and generates knowledge and capacities of high added value in critical areas for the region and in areas susceptible to climate change and natural disasters".

"PRIMA is a classically European research and innovation instrument, fundamental for the Mediterranean region, and is an example of the scientific diplomacy that is so necessary today and focused on the Middle East and North Africa", said the acting Minister for Science and Innovation.