UfM Deputy Secretary General for Transport and Urban Development intervenes in the MedaLogistics Week, the meeting point for the logistics and transport sector in the Mediterranean region

Barcelona, 31 May 2022. UfM Deputy Secretary General for Transport and Urban Development, Amb. Erdal Sabri Ergen, participated in the official opening of the 18th Mediterranean Logistics & Transport Forum alongside eminent speakers including Adina Välean and EU Commissioner for Transport, as well as Anwar Zibaoui ans Ahmed El Wakil, President and General Coordinator of ASCAME, Pere Navarro, Special Delegate of the State to the Barcelona “Zona Franca” Consortium, and Elisabet Camprubí, President of the International Commission at the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona.

The MedaLogistics Week, which is held in the framework of SIL Barcelona, is a major meeting point for the entire logistics and transport sector in the Mediterranean region organised by the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME).

In his intervention, UfM Deputy Secretary General Ergen commend the organizers for dedicating this Forum to discuss such relevant and timely themes, touching upon how to transform the Mediterranean transport and logistics value chain, as well as the role of e-logistics and e-commerce in the new sharing economy. He recalled that transport and logistics lie at the heart of the Union for the Mediterranean’s mandate and stressed the importance of this event for the UfM.

UfM Deputy Secretary General Ergen also informed that within the framework of our dialogue structures with the UfM countries, which are co-chaired by the European Union and Jordan, we are now laying the groundwork for the next UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport to be held in Cairo on 3 October 2022, and he used the opportunity to thank the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for hosting this important Conference.

Finally, UfM Deputy Secretary General Ergen touched upon the preparations underway in the run-up to the next Ministerial Conference as well as the foreseen key deliverables expected to be endorsed by UfM Ministers of Transport, including the new Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean region until 2027.

The new Regional Transport Action Plan will guide the UfM Member States’ individual and collaborative work in the transport sector in the years to come and will indicate the regional transport system’s path towards achieving the goal of a sustainable, smart, resilient, cleaner and more inclusive mobility, in line with the vision for trans-Mediterranean integration in the infrastructure sector. UfM Deputy Secretary General Ergen added that the UfM will involve as many partners and stakeholders as possible in this important endeavour, including those organisations and governments present in this opening panel.

Every year, the MedaLogistics Week convenes international experts from the industry’s leading sectors, including logistics, maritime, transport and infrastructure. Together, they exchange views on how to enhance the Mediterranean as a heavyweight hub for trade and logistics on a global scale. As an added value for participants, the event also offers special activities, such as sessions focused on Africa or specific workshops on logistics and ports.

UfM Deputy Secretary General Ergen’s full Introductory Remarks are available here.