News

The UfM Secretariat co-organised two activities in Turin, the Workshop on Platform Economy together with the German Development Cooperation and the European Training Foundation as well as the 6th Meeting of the UfM Community of Practice on Youth Employment in the Southern Mediterranean. The Euro-Mediterranean Region has enormous human capital, yet the proportion of young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) remains structurally high, especially in Southern Europe and the MENA region. Digitalisation and connectivity remain both skewed and insufficient in the Southern Mediterranean. 12-14 December 2023, Turin – The Union of the Mediterranean partnered with the German… read more

The 2023 UfM Trade and Investment Forum is the Forum’s 5th edition in five successive years, attesting to the emphasis the UfM places on facilitating trade and promoting investment to foster economic development and integration in the region. The Forum comes at a time when global economic, political and humanitarian disruptions are posing serious challenges that call for a regionally coordinated response that is innovative, sustainable and inclusive. 4 December 2023, Brussels – This year’s edition of the UfM Trade and Investment Forum, co-organised with the German Development Cooperation and made possible by the UfM Regional Platform on Trade and… read more

The second meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour for 2023 was held over two days in Berlin with the participation of multiple stakeholders and interlocutors from the region. Perspectives from UfM Member States, regional organisations and projects and Social Partners were shared with the participants towards identifying best practices and building meaningful complementarities. Berlin, 30 November – 1 December 2023. As part of the Roadmap 2022-2025 for the Implementation of the 5th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour of 18 May 2022, the UfM focal points convened at the German capital over two days for… read more

21-22 November 2023, Marseille – The European Commission (Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion of the European Commission, DG EMPL) organised the 5th Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Social Dialogue Forum on 21-22 November 2023 in Marseille on behalf of the Union for the Mediterranean Co-Presidency. The Forum, held every three years, gathered representatives from employers’ and workers’ organisations from UfM partner countries, Euro-Mediterranean Social Partner organisations, as well as representatives from the UfM Co-Presidency, the UfM Secretariat, the European Commission and other experts. Since 2010, the UfM Social Dialogue Forum actively contributes to the development of a strong, independent… read more

15-16 November 2023, Cairo. The Union for the Mediterranean held the National Workshop on Digital Transformation in Cairo on 15 and 16 November 2023 with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation and in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Estonian ICT Cluster. With over 60 experts and participants from various backgrounds in attendance, this two-day event allowed for discussions on how to enhance the digital transformation and for the exchange of best practices and ideas based on the experiences of Estonia and Egypt. This event, like the e-Governance National Workshops conducted… read more

23 October 2023, Cairo – The Union for the Mediterranean, with the support of the German Development Cooperation, partnered with the League of Arab States to organise the High-Level Conference on Food Industry for Food Security. Titled “Towards More Resilient Regional Supply Chains and a More Sustainable Food Industry,” the event took place at the League of Arab States headquarters in Cairo. The conference, which kicked off a day after visits to Egyptian food sector companies, brought together participants from across the Euro-Mediterranean region to discuss the current state of the food industry, strategies to enhance its resilience, and pathways… read more

17 October 2023, Barcelona – Over 80 social economy actors and entrepreneurs gathered in Barcelona to participate in the fourth edition of the UfM Social Economy Conference. Co-organised by the UfM Secretariat, the Spanish Confederation of Social Economy Entrepreneurs (CEPES) and the German Development Cooperation, and co-sponsored by the European Union, this year’s event focused to two interrelated themes: promoting social entrepreneurship and the participation of women in the Social Economy. The Social Economy, driven by solidarity and the belief in people over capital, is currently experiencing heightened global recognition as a vehicle of social cohesion, job creation, inclusive growth,… read more

6-7 October, 2023, Tunis. The UfM Workshops on Rules of Origin were held in Tunis on October 6-7, 2023 to provide both government and private sector stakeholders in Tunisia with insights into rules of origin, including transitional rules, and information on specific Harmonized System Codes relevant to various industries operating within pertinent trade agreements. Organized by the Union for the Mediterranean with the support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), more than 40 participants attended, with Ms. Alicia Figueroa from GIZ representing the UfM. The workshops were divided into two distinct sessions, one for government officials and another for private… read more

3-4 October, 2023, Rabat. The UfM Workshops on Rules of Origin were held in Rabat on October 3 and 4, 2023 to impart knowledge of trade regulations to both government and private sector stakeholders in Morocco. Organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) with the support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), they provided insight into rules of origin, including the new transitional rules, and information on specific Harmonized System Codes relevant to various industries operating within pertinent trade agreements. Deputy Secretary General Dr. Abdelkader El Khissassi from the Economic Development and Employment Division represented the UfM at the… read more

16-17 July 2023, Algiers – The UfM with the support of the German Development Cooperation organized two workshops for Government and Private Sector stakeholders respectively in Algiers, each consisting of a basic course on Rules of Origin, transitional rules as well as information on specific Harmonized System Codes for the respective industries under the most pertinent agreements, including through training exercises. The workshops encompassed a training module for responsible staff officers from the Government with a more extensive conceptual and legal focus on the concept of rules of origin, in order to facilitate the stakeholder consultation process when conducting trade negotiations…. read more