UfM Secretary General holding talks with German authorities and Parliamentarians on the state of play of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation

Berlin, 17 March 2016. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Fathallah Sijilmassi is conducting an official working visit to Germany to hold talks with German authorities on the state of play of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.

State Secretary for Foreign affairs Markus Ederer and Secretary General Sijilmassi held a bilateral meeting to discuss Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and current regional challenges, as well as the consolidation of the role of the Union for the Mediterranean for the reinforcement of regional cooperation and integration. Working meetings were held at the Ministry for Foreign affairs with General Director for political Affairs Sabine Sparwasser and UfM Senior Official Barbara Wolf.

Current migration and development challenges were discussed and the ways of placing youth employability, job creation, education and vocational training at the heart of the Euro-Mediterranean regional agenda.

Consultations were also held at the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with State Secretary Thomas Silberhorn on the development of further synergies between German cooperation and UfM activities. A project commissioned by the BMZ and promoted by GIZ (Global Initiative on Innovative Labour Market Services for Youth) is jointly developed within the UfM under the Med4Jobs initiative to set up a regional toolbox for youth-orientated labor market services in several countries of the region.

SG Sijilmassi met at the German Bundestag the Parliamentarians members of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) to take stock of the constant development of the interactions between the AP-UfM and the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean and discuss activities and cooperation for next quarters of the year.

This working visit is taking place at a time when the UfM Secretariat is accelerating its activities with tangible and sustainable impact on the ground through concrete projects and initiatives and consolidating its role as a regional platform bringing together all relevant stakeholders and actors in the field of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. Germany is providing strong political and operational support to the development of UfM activities and is a major partner and stakeholder of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.