Member States approve two new regional development projects and adopt a substantial Ministerial agenda for 2017

Brussels, 14 October 2016. During this fourth Senior Official’s Meeting (SOM) of 2016, the Senior Officials of the 43 Member States met at Brussels, Belgium to discuss the challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean region and to adopt several initiatives to address the three key interrelated priorities of the region: stability, human development and integration.

A substantial Ministerial agenda

Senior Officials addressed preparations for the UfM Ministerial Conference on Energy to be held in Rome, the UfM Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development, to be held in Cairo, and the UfM Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society.

New labelled projects

During their meeting, the Senior Officials approved two new projects promoting urban development and economic integration. The labeling of these two projects brings the total number of UfM-labelled regional cooperation projects to 47 projects.

The new labelled projects target the three interrelated regional priorities of the UfM work, namely human development, integration and stability. The two projects are Izmir Urban Integrated Waste Management Project and Agadir SME Programme – Fostering SME competitiveness and trade in the Agadir ‎Agreement member countries.

Izmir Urban Integrated Waste Management Project

Waste management is one of the main environment-related problems in Turkey’s cities, including Izmir, and it ‎is also a key strategic issue with particular relevance at regional level. ‎Izmir’s current solid waste landfill facility is reaching its full capacity. The new facility will provide high-quality ‎integrated solid waste management for Izmir at a critical time, and will adopt an exemplary, innovative and ‎environmentally-friendly urban infrastructure approach. ‎

The Project, promoted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) and European Bank of ‎Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), will bring significant environmental benefits for the city of Izmir by minimizing associated impacts ‎of solid waste management, and will improve the living standards of the population. ‎The Project is part of the UfM’s Urban Projects Finance Initiative (UPFI).

Agadir SME Programme – Fostering SME competitiveness and trade in the Agadir ‎Agreement member countries

The objective of this project promoted by the Agadir Technical Unit (ATU) is to reinforce economic integration and contribute to economic ‎development, and income generation through SME-led growth. Specifically, the project aims ‎to enhance competitiveness of SMEs and improve their supply capacity and ability to ensure ‎wider use of the cumulation of origin in view of increasing intra-‎trade among the four Agadir Agreement member countries and their exports to the EU and ‎creating synergies and a new economic dynamism among the Agadir agreement Member ‎States (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan) to strengthen sub-regional economic integration.