Meeting in Brussels on 13 July 2018, the Bureau of the PA-UfM unanimously decided to set up the new PA-UfM Permanent Secretariat in Rome.
The location was picked from a shortlist of three Mediterranean cities. Istanbul, Marseille and Rome had all offered to host the new Permanent Secretariat of the PA-UfM. Evaluation of the offers had started under the Egyptian Presidency. Yet the members of the Bureau had requested more time to evaluate the three bids at their previous meeting in Cairo.
Successively, and after further deliberation at the Brussels meeting, the Bureau unanimously chose Rome as the location for the new Permanent Secretariat of the PA-UfM.
Moving forward, the Working Group of Rules and Financing has been charged with preparing a blueprint for the secretariat.