III Foro Económico y Social del Mediterráneowith Prensa Ibérica

The forum

The Foro Económico y Social del Mediterráneo, which Prensa Ibérica also calls the Foro Mediterráneo, was born in 2024 with one idea: to analyse the current situation, listen to different voices and put forward ideas and projects to improve the lives of those who live on the shores of the Mediterranean. It is organised by Prensa Ibérica in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Foundation.

It made its debut in Valencia in 2024, moved on to Málaga in 2025 and held its third edition in Barcelona, at CosmoCaixa. In the months leading up to each forum, several expert councils work on the big challenges facing the Mediterranean arc; the forum then brings their work together and opens it up for debate. Its long-term goal is a “Mediterranean Pact” based on dialogue, cooperation and respect for the character of each territory.

Javier Moll, Chairman of Prensa Ibérica, and Josep Maria Coronas, Director General of the “la Caixa” Foundation, welcomed attendees. Taking part were King Felipe VI; the ministers José Manuel Albares (Foreign Affairs) and Jordi Hereu (Industry and Tourism); and the regional presidents Salvador Illa, Fernando López Miras and Juanfran Pérez Llorca.

There were also voices from abroad: European Commissioners Dubravka Šuica, responsible for the Mediterranean, and Costas Kadis, for Fisheries and Oceans; historian and journalist Anne Applebaum; documentary filmmaker and explorer Céline Cousteau; and the chambers of commerce of Jordan and Croatia, among others.

The debates

This edition’s debates were organised around three areas (stability, prosperity and humanism) and touched on topics including these:

• Housing and social cohesion.
• Sustainability, innovation and economic development.
• The tourism model and how to balance it with access to housing, a debate that brought together the mayors of Barcelona, Palma, Málaga and Cartagena.
• Digital transformation.
• The challenges facing the islands.

In his speech, the King stressed the value of listening closely and talking things through to reach agreements. Aitor Moll, CEO of Prensa Ibérica, closed the forum, and the baton has already been passed on: Palma will host the fourth edition in 2027.

What we set up

For a forum with voices from both inside and outside Spain, we set up Speech at CosmoCaixa. With a QR code and nothing to download, the debates reached each attendee’s phone in the language of their choice, to be heard through headphones with AI interpretation or read live.