UfM Regional Platform on Industrial Cooperation

The UfM Regional Platform on Industrial Cooperation convened on 20th September 2021, bringing together, in addition to the EU and Jordanian UfM Co-presidencies as well as the UfM Secretariat, representatives of Embassies, SBA coordinators and Senior Officials in charge of industrial cooperation from the UfM Member States.

In their opening remarks, Ms Outi SLOTBOOM, Director for Strategy and conomic Analysis, DG GROW, and Mr Zaher AL-QATARNEH, Deputy Secretary General for Technical Affairs and Director for the Foreign Trade Policy, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, of Jordan, highlighted the negative effects of the pandemic crisis on the economic level, thus exacerbating the preexisting challenges facing the region, such as unemployment and inequalities. In this context, they underlined the need to scale up the regional cooperation to build back better for more sustainable and inclusive economic recovery.

This meeting was the occasion to present and discuss the new EU agenda for the Mediterranean, the EU Industrial Strategy update, Fit for 55 package as well as the new Work Program on Industrial Cooperation for the period 2021-2024. The latter was circulated to Member States for their comments to be adopted before the end of the year.

From his part, Mr. Abdelkader EL KHISSASSI, UfM Deputy Secretary General, called upon the UfM Member States to contribute actively in finalizing the next Work program that sets the actions to be undertaken for the development of the private sector, especially the MSMES, as job creator and inclusive economic and human development generator, and the promotion of regional value chain integration. He also put forward the UfM´s efforts to create an enabling environment to help businesses thrive.