The European Institute at the London School of Economics and as part of its series on \u201cPerspectives on Europe\u201d public events has hosted on January 18th Dr. Lino Cardarelli, the Acting Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean as part of its public lectures on Perspectives on Europe.<\/p>\n
The lecture which was chaired by Dr. Katerina Dalacoura, entitled: \u201cSupporting reform on the Mediterranean\u2019s southern shores: The role of multilateral cooperation\u201d focused on many dimensions related to the southern Mediterranean countries in light of the Arab Spring, and the role of multilateral platforms in strengthening the process of reforms and democratization in there.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cardarelli expressed the gratitude of the Secretariat to the LSE for starting such collaboration between the two institutions, and commended the LSE initiative in tackling such important issues that come at moment, where the Southern Mediterranean countries are in process of political reform and transformations; whereas Europe is suffering from the most devastating crisis since 70 years. During his lecture, which was attended by academia, students and businessmen, Dr. Cardarelli reminded that the current change provides an opportunity to strengthen the Euro Mediterranean cooperation.
\nThe Acting Secretary General added that the UfM is a convinced advocator of the importance that the private sector plays a crucial role in society. He also underlined that the need for new markets and create more than 25 million job opportunities for the youth before 2020, this cannot be achieved without a strong engagement of the private sector. Dr. Cardarelli highlighted that in addition to enabling the business environment in the Southern countries, with the aim that Foreign Direct Investment can flourish, it is also needed to better cater for the needs of financing for the SMEs, which are great generators of employment in the region.
\nThe lecture was followed by Q&A from from the attendees. The LSE European Institute is a recognized platform, which hosts World Leaders and international figures.<\/p>\n