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In view of the challenges which confront the Western Mediterranean world in the years ahead, the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs is committed to building scenarios that highlight its potential as an area of growth and innovation and fosters a better future for the people who inhabit its northern and southern shores. With that purpose in mind, and under the general title of “The Mediterranean in a multipolar world up to 2030”, CIDOB is working on a three year research program (2010-2012) whose aim is to analyse how countries in the area might overcome their differences and imagine a common future.

The research program, carried out in partnership with OCP Foundation in Rabat, brings together internationally recognised experts. It has opened three lines of research devoted to analysing and making proposals on is­sues critical to the future of the region. The focus of our research in 2011 has been the idea of the Western Mediterranean as a laboratory where the future of the Euro-African space could be mapped out. Under the title “Transitions in North Africa in Times of Scarcity: Finance, employment, energy & food”, a seminar to discuss the different outcomes of this year’s research was carried out in November in Barcelona. We will then focus in 2012, on the economic governance of Western Mediterranean countries, and how this might impact on the region’s future.

With the final purpose of building a comprehensive understanding of the region’s future, CIDOB’s Western Mediterranean research project has adopted a prospective methodology offering a platform for analysis, infor­mation exchange, and the sharing of views – in other words, a laboratory of ideas- that could offer insights and practical tools for decision makers, be it at a political, economic or private level. The program is also building a network of experts drawn form the region and beyond.