UfM Conference on Regional Integration and Value Chain Transition

27 April 2023, online. The UfM and the German Development Cooperation will co-organise the virtual UfM Conference on Regional Integration and Regional Value Chains online on 27 April 2023 under the auspices of The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Malta. Bringing together partners and stakeholders from the Euro-Mediterranean Region, and informed by past shocks that include the pandemic crisis, the current regional and global geopolitical and socio-economic disruptions, the Conference will focus on two thematics of paramount importance for the Mediterranean, namely “Economic Integration in times of crisis” and “What does a Green Transition mean for regional value chains?”

The Conference will yield an outcome document of concrete action-oriented recommendations to guide future actions and to inform the working plans of the UfM and its Member States.

The conference is part of a series of dedicated events, seeking to move from policy recommendation(s) to implementation after the launch of the first Progress Report on Regional Integration in the UfM Region.  This report was presented on 27 May 2021 with the support by the German Development Cooperation and prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Report examines five domains of regional integration: trade integration, financial integration, infrastructure integration, movement of people, and research and higher education. It presented key findings and policy recommendations for each of these domains, based on specific performance indicators that can be monitored over time. Additional publications by the UfM and OECD in 2022 provided data on the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UfM region and regional value chains.