• Ministers, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Co-Presidency and UfM Secretariat gather in Brussels on the occasion of the first Ministerial Conference on Blue Economy. • Ministers stressed the potential for sustainable growth through improved maritime governance and an environment conducive to promote jobs, innovation and knowledge-based business opportunities through the development of key maritime sectors. • A regional and collaborative approach is crucial to capitalise fully on the blue economy’s potential, as the challenges affecting the Mediterranean Sea call for shared and integrated responses. A constructive path of cooperation to help the stability of the region, which is… read more
Barcelona, 16 November 2015. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Fathallah Sijilmassi, received today the Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez. The Secretary General of the UfM and the Secretary General of the PSOE exchanged views on the current Mediterranean context and discussed the state of play and relevance of the UfM activities. Pedro Sánchez extended his support and solidarity in the light of the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated in Paris and other capitals of the Mediterranean. Secretary General Sijilmassi briefed Pedro Sánchez on the UfM strategies to address the root… read more
The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean expresses his deep emotion at the heinous terrorist attacks perpetrated in Paris on 13 November. He condemns strongly these barbaric terrorist acts and presents his condolences to the families of victims, his thoughts to the injured, and his profound solidarity with France. He also expresses all his condolences and solidarity with Lebanon following the terrible attacks that took place in Beirut on 12 November. The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean reiterates its firm condemnation of terrorism, extremism and violence. It reaffirms its unshakeable faith in the values of dialogue… read more
• European and African heads of state and government met in Valletta at the invitation of the EU and Malta for a two-day Summit on Migration. • The agreement creating the “EU Emergency Fund for stability and adressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa” was signed today. • The UfM which action tackles the socio-economic root causes of migration challenges in the Mediterranean was invited as observer institution…. read more
• The meeting, organised as part of the Mediterranean New Chance Network (MedNC) UfM labelled project, aims to create a Spanish network of entities in order to increase employability opportunities among young people who have dropped out of school without obtaining a diploma…. read more
• UfM Deputy Secretary General Delphine Borione took part in the policy discussions of the Culture Committee of the Union for the Mediterranean’s Parliamentary Assembly (PA-UfM) in Rome. • The Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes was presented by Ambassador Borione as a fine example to illustrate UfM efforts towards intercultural education and youth mobility…. read more
The UfM, in partnership with the EU and other regional actors, is supporting “SwitchMed Connect”, an event of the SwitchMed Programme, to be held on 29-30 October in Barcelona, gathering, for the first time, more than 350 stake holders from Mediterranean countries to build synergies, exchange knowledge, and scale up eco and social innovative solutions…. read more
• The UfM is currently executing 13 projects to promote youth employability and inclusive growth, potentially benefiting more than 200,000 young people, mainly in the framework of its Med4Jobs programme. • UfM, EIB and the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU have come together at the 15th FEMIP conference to explore the links between private sector finance, entrepreneurship and job creation with a focus on the tools for financing pioneering investments…. read more
• UfM participated at the 2015 OSCE Mediterranean Conference, “Common Security in the Mediterranean Region – Challenges and Opportunities”, which gathered 200 representatives of governments and State institutions, international organisations and civil society from the 57 OSCE participating States and 6 Partner countries. • Fathallah Sijilmassi underlined “the importance of regional cooperation to trigger sustainable economic growth, job perspectives for youth, a culture of inclusiveness and the promotion of the role of women and infrastructural and productive investment. Regional cooperation on development issues is paramount to stability and peace in the Mediterranean.”… read more
• UfM participates in the UNIDO Conference on Women Economic Empowerment in EXPO Milano 2015, an event aiming at establishing a political dialogue and identifying recommendations for policy makers and share good practices and business women’s experience at the international level. • The UfM Deputy Secretary General for Social and Civil Affairs, Delphine Borione, highlighted that “it is the right time to harness the great potential of women entrepreneurs for an inclusive and sustainable growth in the Euro-Mediterranean region.”… read more
