UfM Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation: Adoption of the 2014-2015 Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation Work Programme
Brussels, 19 February, 2014. Ministers of Industry from the member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean and representatives from public authorities, business associations and international organisations convened in Brussels on 19 February 2014, on the occasion of the 9th UfM Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation. With the aim of improving the business environment in the Euro-Mediterranean region and promoting entrepreneurship and the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), ministers adopted a Ministerial Declaration and the 2014-2015 Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation Work Programme.
Participants agreed that there is a common goal to create favourable conditions for a collective and effective mobilisation that will help the region meet the challenges of sustainable growth and decent living conditions for the local populations, and assumed the responsibility of continuing the ongoing endeavours to further strengthen and effectively support private sector growth and innovation. They also acknowledged the results achieved by the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean in the promotion of specific projects in the field, and invited the national coordinators of the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise to ensure optimum complementarity and link regional actions with the projects and proposals carried out by the Secretariat.
The Ministerial Meeting was co-chaired by Mr Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship, and by Mr Al-Halawani, Jordan’s Minister of Industry and Trade.
The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean actively participated in the preparatory work for the Meeting together with the UfM co-presidencies, and it will play an important role in the upcoming implementation of the 2014-2015 work programme, as well as in the implementation of regional cooperation projects promoting economic integration and support for the development of SMEs.
Industrial cooperation is helping to create an area of shared prosperity between the EU and Mediterranean partner countries. EU and Mediterranean industry ministers meet every 2 years to take stock of progress, decide on future priorities and adopt a 2-year work programme. On 11-12 May 2011, industry ministers met for the 8th time in Malta and adopted a work programme for 2011-2012.
MORE INFORMATION:
- Speech by UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi on the occasion of the 9th UfM Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation
- Ministerial Declaration EN
- Ministerial Declaration FR
- Ministerial Declaration AR
- 2014-2015 Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation Work Programme EN
- 2014-2015 Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation Work Programme FR
- List of UfM business development projects
- Audiovisual Gallery
