Southern Europe’s leaders left Split with a unified message: energy costs, migration flows, and regional instability now demand a collective European fix.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković wrapped up the MED9 Summit on Friday by framing the gathering as proof that Mediterranean nations share an economic and political fate. The nine participating countries account for 205 million people, 45 percent of the EU population, and 41 percent of the bloc’s GDP. Their MEPs number 293.
Croatia chaired this year’s edition under the banner “For a Safer, More Sustainable and Resilient Mediterranean.” Split hosted the event, following Croatia’s earlier Three Seas Initiative Summit in Dubrovnik, to reinforce Zagreb’s Mediterranean credentials. Leaders from Cyprus, Malta, Italy, Portugal, and Slovenia joined Plenković for the closing press conference.
The adopted Split Declaration consolidated months of ministerial work. Plenković said the document summarized talks on the EU’s next seven-year budget, enlargement, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Those conversations set the stage for the upcoming European Council meeting.
Energy prices dominated the economic discussion. Every government in the room, Plenković noted, confronts inflation driven partly by the war in Ukraine and Middle East turmoil. Zagreb has reviewed energy costs weekly for six months while weighing excise duty reductions. The prime minister called for a renewed EU-wide agreement to cap price growth.
Budget negotiations for 2028–2034 also entered their final stretch. Ireland’s presidency aims to close a deal before year-end. Plenković framed the core tension as balancing cohesion funding for poorer regions against competitiveness investments.
On migration, Giorgia Meloni warned that Europe cannot fixate solely on eastern crises while neglecting its southern flank. Janez Janša credited the new Pact on Migration and Asylum with reducing Mediterranean arrivals, though Balkan route numbers remained flat. Luís Montenegro pushed for shared border security burdens, stronger anti-smuggler operations, and faster returns for those ineligible to stay.
Portugal now assumes the MED9 chair. Plenković wished Montenegro success in carrying the format forward.
