25 June. A virtual conference was held this week to showcase pathways for supporting Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving a sustainable economic recovery. The Conference brought together policy-makers (from ministries, central banks, regulators and the European Commission), as well as academics working on this subject, MSME finance advocates, and diverse market participants covering the whole eco-system (banks, microfinance institutions, investment funds, incubators, accelerators, fin-techs, leasing companies, credit guarantee companies, business angels, crowdfunding platforms, and development cooperation frameworks) and international financial institutions active in the region. There were also speakers and panelists representing institutions… read more
Trade accounts for 35% of GDP in the Mediterranean region, and the intra-regional trade market is one of the most important in the world. Today, the first edition of the UfM Progress Report on Regional Integration, commissioned by the UfM, and prepared by the OECD, was presented in an online event along with policy recommendations and an insight on best practice in regional integration from around the world. The report takes stock of the progress that has been made, and highlights two important challenges that still stand: inadequate infrastructure for transport and energy connectivity, and a lack of common vision… read more
The Med4Jobs Advisory Board Meeting 2021 brought together prominent stakeholders to take stock of the state-of-play of employment-related challenges and the efforts undertaken towards a sustainable and inclusive socio-economic recovery. The Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs) is a major building block of the UfM response to the unemployment challenge in the region. With over 100,000 beneficiaries, mostly young people and women in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, it gathers best practices and success stories from the region. 25 March 2021. The UfM organized the seventh Med4Jobs Advisory Board Meeting in an online format, with the aim of discussing a broad… read more
Erilda Krasi of 1001 Albanian Adventures, a tour operator based in the city of Berat, has won the third edition of ARLEM Young Entrepreneurs Award, reflecting as well the efforts of the city of Berat to support the development of the local tourism industry. The award, which has been presented annually since 2019 by the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) celebrates both the work of entrepreneurs younger than 35 and efforts by local authorities to foster business-friendly policies. The award was presented to Ms Krasi by the presidents of the European Committee of the Regions and of United Cities… read more
The workshop is the first in a series of three Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) workshops on e-governance scheduled to be implemented in a selection of southern Mediterranean countries throughout 2021, in partnership with Germany’s Development Agency (GIZ) and the Estonian ICT Cluster. The event was opened by the Algerian Delegate to the Prime Minister and Minister in charge of Knowledge Economy and Startups, and the UfM Secretary General underlining just how important the digital transition is for business continuity, as demonstrated by the current pandemic, but also as a vector of sustainable and inclusive economic recovery in the future…. read more
19 January 2021, Barcelona. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, held an online meeting with Christoph Rauh, Africa Director at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The meeting took place in the context of Germany’s ongoing support to the UfM Secretariat, which is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ). They discussed the successful outcomes of the second edition of the high-level UfM Trade and Investment Forum, which was held on 12 November 2020 during the German EU Council Presidency, under the auspices of the BMZ. At the Forum, which renewed the momentum for trade and… read more
Ljubljana 30 November 2020 – The UfM SG, Nasser Kamel, took part today in online Slovenia’s Innovation Day 2020 “Symptoms of creativity”, organized jointly by the Creative Forum (MfA of Slovenia) and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Addressing the Leaders’ Panel: From Unplanned Spill-overs to Deliberate Cross-overs, along with high level speakers, namely Ministers and representatives of International Organisations, Nasser Kamel highlighted the importance of Creative industries as driving force for economic growth in normal times and economic recovery in the event of a crisis like the ongoing pandemic crisis as well as catalyst for social welfare and well-being…. read more
Over 300 experts, policymakers and representatives from the private sector, the civil society and international organizations today gathered online at the “UfM Trade and Investment Forum” to discuss trade, investment and employment opportunities in the Mediterranean region in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Forum was preceded by a Ministerial Meeting of the UfM Trade Ministers on 10 November. See Joint Ministerial Statement. Germany announced its support to finance the creation of a UfM Hub for Jobs, Trade and Investment Promotion in order to promote trade opportunities and contribute to facilitate access to finance, mobilize investments and strengthen regional value… read more
The 42 member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) convened today by videoconference for the 11th Trade Ministerial Conference to launch three new trade and investment initiatives. They also called for the strengthening of trade ties in the Euro-Mediterranean area as a crucial element for the regional economic recovery. 10 November 2020. The UfM Trade Ministerial Conference stressed the importance of ensuring that Mediterranean partners can take full advantage of opening markets. The newly launched trade and investment initiatives supported by the EU and implemented by partner organisations – the International Trade Centre, the International Labour Organization and… read more
This year’s edition of the Med4Jobs Stakeholders Dialogue, which is held biannually, focused on the Post-Pandemic labour landscape, with an emphasis on lessons learned, best practices and ideas for the creation of more resilient labour markets. Med4Jobs is the UfM flagship initiative for job creation and SME support, with 13 labelled projects of regional outreach and concrete range of activities. Barcelona, 29 October 2020. The UfM organized today the second edition of the UfM Med4Jobs Stakeholders Dialogue in an online format, with the aim of discussing the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the employment landscape in the region, the… read more
