News

Trade and investment can stimulate employment, but it is necessary to build on a solid basis and to select the value chains that are fit for purpose. On 8 May, 20 representatives from relevant government ministries, from the social partners, specialized national agencies, and civil society organisations gathered in Egypt to discussed the value chain analysis.

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The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) released a new video about the regional programme “EU4 Monitoring Drugs” and the cooperation for the South Partner Countries.

Cryptocurrencies are still trendy and a growing topic of interest. They also raise a lot of questions as to the opportunities and the risks that they represent for societies and markets. On that topic, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published an analysis of the use of cryptocurrencies on darknet markets

Following up on the UfM Ministerial Declaration on Energy as signed in 2021, every year representatives of the UfM member countries meet to discuss the state of play of implementing the roadmap for Action on Energy. Some 80 participants from UfM member governments as well as relevant energy stakeholders, came together on 3 and 4 May in Barcelona to discuss the progress of implementation of the roadmap and next steps for further regional cooperation on energy.

Partners from Jordan and Palestine joined a cohort of collaborators coming from 125 countries in a series of workshops held by the International Budget Partnership between January and April 2023.

Representatives of the EU, ministries, regulators, financial institutions, alternative finance promoters, as well as the civil society, notably women in business associations as well as the National SBA Coordinators, gathered for a webinar to discuss how to reshape commerce through the digital transformation.

In the April issue of its monthly newsletter "TABADOOL", the MED MSMEs Programme provides fresh insights on policies and regulations affecting the MSMEs business environment.

Ensuring the coordination of EU and Spanish priorities in terms of development assistance in the Southern Neighbourhood is of utmost importance in a context of geopolitical shift in the region. To convey the EU's approach, NEAR B attended the IEMed-AECID Seminar on “Development Cooperation in the Mediterranean”, which took place on 24 April 2023 at Casa Arabe in Madrid.

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Between March 2021 and September 2022, the WES project supported the government of Lebanon with specific technical assistance focused on prevention and abatement of industrial pollution in the country.

The International Budget Partnership, a partner of the EU on the Open Budget Survey, is currently looking for a new Senior Programme Officer focusing on the MENA Region, a position to be filled until September of 2026.

The second phase of the EU4Monitoring Drugs programme was launched in April. This second iteration of the programme marks a new phase of cooperation between the EU and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

The joint EU-Council of Europe (CoE) South Programme launched its fifth iteration in Lisbon on 13-14 March 2023 with 130 participants from both shores of the Mediterranean.

In close collaboration with the joint EU-Council of Europe programme South Programme V, Morocco released its newest tool to combat human trafficking.

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In the last week of April, Henrike Trautmann took part, alongside Director General Gert Jan Koopman and other European Commission representatives, in a visit to Egypt. In this framework, a meeting with Dr. Alaa Ezz, Secretary General of the Confederation of Egyptian European Chambers CEEBA, was organised.

On 29 March, Margaritis Schinas attended a dinner in Alexandria, together with EU Ambassador to Egypt Christian Berger and representatives of the project Enhancing Business Support Organisations and Business Networks in the Southern Neighbourhood (EBSOMED) to discuss EU-Egypt relations.