Meeting between Small business support organisations from Europe, Morocco and Algeria

Barcelona, 21 November, 2012. – In the framework of a meeting held at the premises of the Union for the Mediterranean, in Barcelona, the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (UEAPME) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) signed a cooperation agreement. The aim of this agreement is to reinforce and promote the cooperation between the two organisations in order to increase the exchanges and partnerships between the European and Moroccan Micro, Small and Medium-Sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the fields of industry, infrastructure and green economy, among others.

The ceremony counted on the support of the President of Catalan Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (PIMEC), facilitators of the agreement, and the President of the National Council of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises from Algeria (CMCPME), who highlighted its full support to the initiative and confirmed its willingness to sign a very similar cooperation agreement with UEAPME early next year 2013.

UfM Secretary General, Fathallah Sijilmassi, highlighted during the meeting that “one of the priorities of the Union for the Mediterranean is to support SMEs as drivers of growth and job creation”. He reiterated“the full support of the UfM to the Small business support organizations in the development of their activities to enhance cooperation, entrepreneurship and partnership”.