News

Berlin, 20 November, 2013. During an official visit to Berlin, UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi held talks with State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office, Emily Haber, and other German authorities, who confirmed the political and operational support of Germany to the ongoing efforts carried out by the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean to foster regional integration, strengthened development, stability and security in the Mediterranean region. The Union for the Mediterranean provides an adequate framework to that effect. During the visit, consultations were held with representatives of major German Foundations and Think Tanks, namely, Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, ZMO,… read more

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 18 – 19 November 2013. The UfM Secretary General, Fathallah Sijilmassi, participated over two days in the Global Meeting of Regional Organizations: Shaping Global and Regional Transformations, organized jointly by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Government of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on 18-19 November. A number of leaders of regional organizations also attended the meeting. It focused on addressing priorities for collaboration at a time of unprecedented expansion of regionalism. The leaders of the organizations also shared best practices to overcome various challenges and driving economic and social inclusion. They discussed new models to accelerate global cooperation as an important… read more

The second UfM-EuroMed Social Dialogue Forum took place in Barcelona on 13 November. The event, organised by the European Commission, the Directorate General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, was opened by Mr Fathallah Sijilmassi, Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Mr Zoltan Kazatsay, Deputy Director-General of European Commission DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and Mr Felip Puig i Godes, Catalan Counsellor for Enterprise and Labour. The Forum gathered high-level representatives of employers and trade unions from the UfM members. Given the economic and social challenges of the region, the main themes of the forum were capacity building for… read more

Ministers in charge of transport from the 43 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered on 14 November 2013, in Brussels on the occasion of the Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Transport…. read more

More than 120 representatives from economic and social councils and a large number of other civil society organisations from 14 Mediterranean countries and the EU gathered at the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), in Barcelona, on 11 and 12 November for discussions on the future role of civil society in the UfM…. read more

UfM Senior Officials met in Barcelona to finalize the Mediterranean Solar Master Plan and prepare the upcoming Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Energy, set to take place in December, 2013…. read more

Jordan, 2 November, 2013. Jordan Forum for Business & Professional Women (JFBPW) conducted on November 2nd 2013, the first Women Entrepreneurship Day (WED) in Amman, continuing thus the implementation of the Union for the Mediterranean labelled project “Young Women as Job Creators”, promoted by the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME). The workshop was attended by some 30 young women and male students from 6 partner Jordanian universities. It was opened by the President of the Forum Mrs. Reem Barghouty, who explained the major concept of the project and the goal of the WED. The Director of the European Bank… read more

Rabat, 31 October 2013. The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean participated in the 4th Dii Desert Energy Conference, held in Rabat on 30-31 October, 2013. During the conference, the UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi explained the common objectives existing between the UfM Secretariat and the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) in their long-term strategies, the “Mediterranean Solar Plan” (MSP) and the “Desert Power 2050”. During his participation in the discussion panel “Policy roundtable discussion: What is the political agenda to establish a market for Renewable Energy in EUMENA?”, the UfM Secretary General praised Dii’s active involvement in the collective efforts to… read more

•The event brought together ten Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Presidents of employers’ associations of Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia, as well as 200 business leaders from the region. •The Head of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy, gave an important keynote speech during the inaugural session of the Economic Forum of the Western Mediterranean (Dialogue 5+5)… read more

22 October – Amman, Jordan. Tomorrow, the UfM-labelled project ‘Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector’ shall initiate the national policy dialogue in Jordan during a first consultation workshop scheduled for 23 October in Amman. Officially launched in May 2013, this regional project if jointly implemented by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med). Its core objective is to diagnose key governance bottlenecks to mobilising financing through public private partnerships (PPP) for the Mediterranean water sector and to support the development of consensual action plans based on international good practices. The First… read more