Connecting electricity grids is an important step in creating more resilient power grids (in the perspective of a gradual integration of Mediterranean energy systems) as well as allowing more (fluctuating) renewable electricity to be absorbed in our energy systems. Some 80 participants from the members of the associations of Transmission System Operators throughout Europe as well as in the Southern Neighbourhood, came together in Brussels to discuss this topic at the closing event of the TEASIMED phase I project which operated from September 2020 to March 2023.

With the aim to support entrepreneurship among youths in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Incubator for Information and Communication Technology "PICTI" held on 15 March the ‘From Innovation to Creativity’ Hackathon, funded by the European Union and in collaboration with SPARK

A successful three-day workshop brought together Ministries in charge of Trade and Investment, Economic Planning and Labour, representatives of Trade Unions and employers' organizations and private sector representatives to share their knowledge and experience on the impact of trade and investment on decent employment.

Over 130 participants representing 25 organisations from Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Palestine met in Amman to support the innovation and startup ecosystems in the Mediterranean region in the framework of the EU-funded 'From Innovation to Creation’ programme.

A gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education can facilitate a full social and economic inclusion of women and girls. At the occasion of International Women’s Day of 2023 which is also the EU Year of Skills, the UfM held an online event on March 7 to discuss about concrete solutions and good practice to ensure full access to innovation and technology for women and girls in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

On 1st March 2023, the Secretariat of EBSOMED met with counterparts in DG NEAR to discuss the plan of activities for the next six months.

Eurojust launched a new video to promote the regional programme EuroMed Justice (EMJ) on of the EU Flagship programmes in the Southern Neighbourhood.

A large audience, coming from 34 countries, gathered to attend the International Conference on cybercrime and e-evidence in Africa, on 6 and 7 March 2023, in Bouznika, Morocco. The event shed light on an increasingly important matter for all the regions of the globe.

Deeply rooted on local expertise, the Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparative assessment of transparency, oversight and participation in national budgets. More importantly, Palestine is included for the first time in this survey.

A group of young researchers, who participated in the last EuroMed Young Researchers Forum in Mollina (Spain) in 2022, published their policy briefs on topics related to the theme of the Forum : Bridging the Gap in Euro-Mediterranean relations: Youth as drivers of Cohesion.

To follow-up on the discussions held during the four country events and the final event of its 2022 Annual Conference, the project EuroMeSCo: Connecting the Dots launches a series of paper on themes related to inclusiveness and social justice.

The Water and Environment Support (WES) in the Southern Neighborhood region project actively contributes to education and capacity-building. In February 2023, the project successfully launched its sub-regional activity focusing on Lebanon and Palestine.

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Digitalization is not an option anymore for Non-Banking Financial Institutions (NBFIs). On March 7, 2023, the MED MSMEs Programme organized a one-day training session on Leveraging digital solutions to offer innovative services, reduce cost of operations and better manage risks.

During the meeting, Southern Neighbourhood partner countries presented the functioning of their national environmental statistical systems and the national work plan for environmental statistics.

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The aim of the event was to understand the status quo of the Mediterranean private sector in the green transition by means of discussions and exchanges between experts and private sector representatives to define concrete recommendations and best practices to promote green growth opportunities.

EBSOMED (Enhancing Business Support Organisations and Business Networks in the Southern Neighbourhood) Secretariat representative highlighted some challenges faced by MENA countries and how the project has contributed to addressing these challenges. This was also an occasion for presenting progress made on the digital platform BCD (Business Country Desk).

The training aimed at refreshing the knowledge of the participants on the tools to develop a solid project proposal for the European Commission (EC) and took place in the framework of the EBSOMED (Enhancing Business Support Organisations and Business Networks in the Southern Neighborhood) project, which aims to increase the overall capacity management of Business Support Organisations (BSOs) in the Euro-Mediterranean region by improving the services offered to SMEs.

The consultations are an important milestone to connect EuroMeSCo’s annual research plan with relevant policy issues, events, trends and priorities.