Regional Cooperation Neighbourhood South

In preparation of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Trade Ministers Conference to be held in Valencia, the regional platform on trade and investment met in Brussels.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) member states met online on 13 June in the framework of the Regional Platform on Industrial Cooperation.

On 19-20 June, within the framework of the EU-funded programme on Investment in the Mediterranean, the Regional Seminar and the Programme 2nd Advisory Group Meeting were held in Istanbul at the OECD Regional Centre.

The event, organized jointly by DG NEAR and DG GROW, gathered around 60 participants in the framework of the 'Euromed Clusters Forward' project to unlock potential collaborations among South Med clusters and peers.

In collaboration with the OECD, the MED MSMEs programme organized an online Tabadool dialogue to take stock and provide insights on evaluation of support policies addressed to MSMEs.

In its latest newsletter, the WES project recalls the technical assistance provided to the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) in the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, between April 2021 and February 2023. This technical assistance aimed at promoting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for managing plastic bottle waste.

Fintech is also an opportunity for women of the Mediterranean region, this is why the MED MSMEs programme held a Tabadool webinar to discuss women as potential beneficiaries and implementers of a Fintech regional action plan.

All there is to know about inspiring practices concerning policies and regulations related to MSMEs business environment can be found in the Tabadool newsletter.

Representatives from IMF/METAC, METAC member countries, development partners (European Commission, France, Germany, Switzerland, as well as UNDP and UN women) and civil society organisations met at the Regional Conference (hybrid) held in Beirut on 7 June.

In Barcelona, Spain, experts and stakeholders from the business and investment sectors came together for a three-day event, organized in collaboration with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

A networking event took place in Amman, Jordan, counting on the collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Jordan to offer opportunities to Jordanian SMEs to connect with other stakeholders and businesses of the MENA region.

ANIMA organized, in the framework of the EBSOMED project, a three-day academy aiming to promote high-quality digital tools and services to improve the efficiency of the strategies of startup businesses.

Transformative change should come about if green and social transitions are addressed together. The EBSOMED academy which took place in Marseille in May aimed to offer the platform to catalyze such change via exchange of experiences and good practices to define ways to advance to social and solidarity economy.

The digital transition comes with challenges but also great opportunities. This new EuroMeSCo Policy Study the economic opportunities related to this transition and the steps needed to ensure a positive outcome.

To kick-start the national engagement activities of the new CSF Med, the EU Delegation to Morocco co-organized a two-day event which gave the opportunity for relevant stakeholder to engage in structured dialogue with civil society at country level.

The Mediterranean is one of the regions that is most affected by climate change. In the MENA region, internal displacement is one of the direct consequences of climate changes and adds up to the several challenges the region faces. This new Policy Study highlights the need for a holistic approach and the importance of long-term adaptation and resilience mechanisms for affected communities.