As part of this effort, the Commission hosted a meeting in June to review objectives that will benefit the UfM and, importantly, improve the environment for SMEs both inside and outside the EU.

Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), a partnership between Europe and third countries in the Mediterranean (MED) region, is promoting shared prosperity by fostering industrial cooperation among EU Member States and their MED neighbours.

A crucial element of this collaboration is small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which play a vital role in economic development and job creation in both the EU and MED region. SME development was therefore a key component of a June 2013 meeting in Brussels, which was organised by the European Commission and focused on Euro-Mediterranean industrial cooperation.

Daniel Calleja, Director General of DG Enterprise and Industry and the EU’s SME Envoy, presented the four objectives of the 2013-2014 Work Programme.