Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), Secretary General, Dr Sergio Piazzi and his counterpart at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), H.E.Ahmad Masa’deh, have met in Barcellona, on 3 September 2010, to discuss issues of common interest in the Mediterranean region. This is the second bilateral meeting that the two Secretaries General have had this year, following the establishment of the UfM secretariat in Barcellona, Spain.
The discussions focused on the establishment of a strategic cooperation programme between the two Organisations, based on the principle of complementarity of their respective mandates for the Mediterranean. PAM’s role as an Observer to the UN General Assembly was also considered in view of the benefits that this status can bring to the region.
Particular attention was also dedicated to PAM’s Panel for External Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, which was launched this year in Portugal. An operational meeting between parliamentarians and the major actors in the financial, economic and trade sectors of the region, will be hosted in November by the Italian Federation of Industries, Confindustria, in Naples. An action programme for the coming years, to include initiatives to support further development of these activities, will be finalised and launched.
Other topics the table included recent PAM events, the Middle East, the sub-regional process of the 5+5 Group and migration.
On this occasion, PAM also appointed Eng. Mario Bracco, who is based in Barcellona, as the permanent Liaison Officer to the UfM, in order to ensure a continued and regular exchange of information between the two regional Organisations.