S. 4443 — Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act

This section sets forth nine congressional findings concerning the strategic importance of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)—launched at the 2023 G20 Summit—as an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative; the role of Eastern Mediterranean energy projects (e.g., Great Sea Interconnector) in European energy security; U.S. partnerships with Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, and Israel; enhanced defense, security, educational, and cultural cooperation; the Presidential Determination lifting the Cyprus arms embargo; expansion of the Abraham Accords; India's ties with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus; and IMEC's reliance on Eastern Mediterranean infrastructure.

This section expresses the sense of Congress that (1) the United States should recognize the significance of diplomatic initiatives such as the Greece-Cyprus-Israel-U.S. “3+1” format, the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, and the Abraham Accords and maintain its leadership role in them; (2) the United States should continue actively participating in the East Mediterranean Gas Forum; (3) the United States should support energy and transportation infrastructure, connectivity initiatives, defense cooperation, and other forms of integration in the Eastern Mediterranean region; (4) Eastern Mediterranean countries play a unique role as a distinct subregion and central connector within the broader India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC); (5) the “3+1” diplomatic initiative should resume with a meeting of the Secretary of State with the Ministers of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus; and (6) the statement of policy in section 203 of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 2373 note) should guide the Secretary of State in promoting connectivity between India, the Middle East, and Europe, including participation in the trilateral dialogue on energy, maritime security, cybersecurity, and protection of critical infrastructure among Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.

This section directs the Secretary of State to prioritize the Eastern Mediterranean region in U.S. foreign policy, focusing on energy security and defense cooperation with countries in the region. The section further authorizes the Secretary to institutionalize multilateral strategic dialogues between the United States and IMEC countries, including dedicated formats with Eastern Mediterranean countries that participate in bilateral strategic dialogues with the United States.

This section directs four reporting and analysis requirements to specified executive branch officials, to be provided to the appropriate congressional committees not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act (annually thereafter for the implementation report in subsection (a)). (1) The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary of State, must submit an annual report describing the implementation and effects of this Act, including updates on energy projects and defense cooperation carried out pursuant to this Act and its amendments. (2) The Secretary of State must provide a briefing on each multilateral initiative between the United States and IMEC countries. (3) The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, must analyze insights from the operation of the Cyprus Centre for Land, Open Seas, and Port Security as a potential model for broad-based multilateral cooperation. (4) The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, must submit a report describing the cost of, steps to implement, and feasibility of creating bilateral programs with Eastern Mediterranean countries modeled on specified U.S.-Israel bilateral programs (i.e., Binational Agriculture Research and Development Fund; United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, including projects relating to homeland security and cybersecurity; United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation; and United States-Israel Science and Technology Foundation) and expanding those U.S.-Israel programs to include other Eastern Mediterranean countries and IMEC countries.

This section defines key terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) appropriate congressional committees (i.e., the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Foreign Relations, and the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs); (2) Eastern Mediterranean country (i.e., Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, or Israel); and (3) IMEC country (i.e., the European Union, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, India, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, or any other country designated by the Secretary of State).