UfM Secretary General meets Luxembourg Minister for Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy Nicolas Schmit

UfM Secretariat, 27 July 2016. Nicolas Schmit, Minister for Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy in the Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, met with the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, to discuss ways to enhance Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in vocational training and youth employment.

Minister Nicolas Schmit declared “We shall send a strong message to young people from both rims of the Mediterranean”.

In July 2015 the Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg when holding the EU Presidency launched a multi-partner reflection on how to increase youth employment through vocational training and the promotion of competencies in the Maghreb countries. While investing in education has become a top priority in the region, it is still confronted with challenges in improving the attractiveness and efficiency of vocational training systems.

Following their bilateral meeting, Minister Nicolas Schmit and UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi met with high level experts from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, European Training Foundation, International Labour Organisation, Center for Mediterranean Integration and French Development Agency to explore concrete ways to move forward.

The UfM Secretariat also informed participants about the third UfM Ministerial Meeting on Labour and Employment which will take place in September.