The UfM introduces integration opportunities in the region to german private sector representatives

• A Conference held in Berlin today introduced business leaders and representatives of the Private Sector from Germany and the Region to the current realities of economic integration and the opportunities that deeper integration would offer in strategic economic sectors across the region.
• In the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of the second UfM Progress Report on Regional Integration that took place in Barcelona on 12 September 2025, the German Development Cooperation expressed its interest in disseminating the findings and the recommendations of the Report to the German Private Sector as a first step to be followed by further activities to give visibility to the Report and raise awareness about the need for a deeper economic integration in the UfM region.

Berlin, 5 May 2026. The German Development Cooperation organized a conference today in Berlin to introduce business leaders and representatives of the Private Sector from Germany and the Region to the current realities of economic integration and the opportunities that deeper integration would offer in strategic economic sectors across the region. The event waas co-hosted by the German Near and Middle East Association (NUMOV), German Orient-Institute, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the Union for the Mediterranean.

The Conference, titled “The Mediterranean – Region of Opportunities,” focused on interrelated thematics, namely current business and investment opportunities in the Mediterranean regio, the region’s economic potential and key challenges, recent developments and trends in the financial sector, as well as networking opportunities with institutional and corporate representatives

The Conference brought together 60 participants that included business leaders, entrepreneurs, business support organisations and other Private Sector representatives from Germany and the UfM region, as well as high-level participants from the German Government and Development Cooperation, in addition to representatives from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other regional and international organisations.

During his keynote speech, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel commended the partnership with the German Development Cooperation and took stock of the resurgence of intra-UfM trade and the increasing share of the MENA countries’ exports of intermediate goods, stating that “for the Private Sector, integration means scale and access to broader markets, more efficient and secure value chains, and reduced barrier to trade and investment.”

Earlier this year, a high-level dialogue (Brussels, 11 February 2026) brought together the UfM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and representatives from the European Union with the aim of aligning development and investment agendas, identifying opportunities for partnership, and translating policy recommendations on regional integration into action.