• Who are you ?

Julia Zammit Galea Testaferrata is a full-time University of Malta student. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Policy and is now reading for a master’s degree in European Politics, Economics and Law.

Throughout her studies, Julia has also engaged in student activism at University, with her main aim being to act as a voice for her students, doing her utmost to ensure that they were supported and that their University experience was the best it could be. Having formed part of the student organisation Studenti Ħarsien Soċjali, occupying the roles of Social Policy Officer, Secretary General and President, Julia worked her way up and served as the Social Policy Commissioner of Kunsill Studenti Universitarji, and is currently the Local Officer of TDM2000 Malta.

• What did you know about the 5+5 dialogue before your participation? What do you know now?

Prior to participating within the 5+5 dialogue, my knowledge on the event was very minimal, just being aware of the dialogue acting as a platform for discussion between the Mediterranean countries of the two shores. After participating in the dialogue, I am now aware of the history of the dialogue and how it came to be, the various areas the 5+5 partnership intervenes, together with just how important such a dialogue actually is and how the countries can work together multilaterally.

• What cooperation around Mediterranean means to you?

Very much tied to multilateralism, cooperation around the Mediterranean refers to Mediterranean countries joining forces and working together towards a common aim.

• How can it be strengthened?

Personally, I think that more awareness on the dialogue together with the 5+5 partnership is needed, especially with youths. This can be done through Student Organisations/NGOs, Universities, and Government Ministries. In addition to contact with these, social media is also a very strong platform to use to aid in awareness and outreach, especially if the target group is youths. Apart from awareness, I think it would be a good idea if the platform were to publish brief research and/or position/policy papers on certain common areas of interest.

• What did you learn from the webinars ?

Apart from learning about the dialogue itself, its history, and the different areas the 5+5 partnership intervenes, thanks to the webinars I also learnt about numerous different frameworks related to cooperation, the numerous different mechanisms which exists within the North and the South of the Mediterranean and how they link the countries, together with the similarities and differences between the two shores and the challenges faced.