7th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers for Industry: competitiveness, innovation and sustainable development
Rachid Mohamed, Luc Chatel, Günter Verheugen
© Sircom
- from: 05.11.2008
- to: 06.11.2008
- In: Nice
The 7th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers for Industry is set to approve the industrial cooperation work programme for 2009 and 2010.
The 7th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers for Industry is co-chaired by the French Minister of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs, Luc Chatel, and the Egyptian Minister for Trade and Industry, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, in the presence of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, Günter Verheugen.
Its purpose is to approve the industrial cooperation work programme for the next two years (2009 to 2010), which will address topics such as competitiveness, innovation and sustainable industrial development.
A ministerial declaration is to be made at this conference, which is an opportunity both to talk about the initiatives under way and to foster new industrial cooperation action.
The specific objectives of this conference include:
- strengthening corporate competitiveness by paying particular attention to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises;
- stimulating internal and foreign investments;
- facilitating the free movement of industrial goods;
- promoting innovation;
- developing the service sector by identifying the key sectors and encouraging regional cooperation;
- taking a sustainable approach to the development of industrial cooperation.
Some 250 participants are attending this conference, including the 27 European ministers, 9 Mediterranean ministers (from Algeria, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco and Tunisia), ministers from Albania, Mauritania and Turkey and the ministers who were invited to the Paris Summit on 13 July 2008 from Libya, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and the Principality of Monaco. Other guests include members of the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the OECD, professional organisations such as the Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF), Business Europe, Eurochambres, the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME), the Union méditerranéenne des confédérations d'entreprises (UMCE) and the European Training Foundation (ETF).
A declaration is to be adopted at the end of the session by all the Euro-Mediterranean ministers for industry.
Report from the 7th 'Union for the Mediterranean: Industry' ministerial conference
- Updated: 30.12.2008
