PAM delegates to convene in Lisbon – Economic issues on the agenda

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MEDIA INFORMATION: 10/2010
ISSUED ON: 10/05/2010

Public Policies to support the Internationalisation of Companies and to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Post-Crisis Scenario: Priority Sectors and Growing Networks for SMEs, the establishment of a Mediterranean Investments Bank (MIB), Knowledge management in training and qualification of company directors within the scope of Internationalisation, will be the topics on the agenda of the forthcoming Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) meeting in Portugal, organized as part of the annual calendar of events of the Assembly.

On 27-28 May, delegates from PAM member states and representatives from Chambers of Commerce, Enterprise Associations and Banks will meet in Lisbon, at the invitation of the Portuguese Parliament (Assembleia da República), the event is organized in conjunction with the Portuguese Business Development Agency, within the framework of the 2nd Standing Committee, which deals with Economic, Social and Environmental Cooperation.

This meeting will have the object to discuss ways in which the business sector and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in particular, can increase trade and foreign investment in the Mediterranean region with the support of the National Parliaments and PAM itself.

PAM 2nd Standing Committee had already established a Special Task Force on Free Trade in the Mediterranean way back in 2008. On that occasion Mr. Milan Cvikl (Slovenia) in his report and resolution on free trade had also called upon PAM member states to discuss in more depth the setting up of a Mediterranean Investment Bank. Through a collective strategic vision, this would also contribute to economic stability and eventually permeate other sectors.

The Mediterranean Investment Bank would be a region-specific body that would not depend on European-led initiatives for the Mediterranean. Its purpose would be to promote cross-border infrastructures, including specific south-south investment opportunities, as well as developing a trade facilitation programme and promote the setting up and networking between stock exchanges.

The MIB could also indirectly further the cause of peace and stability in the region. With a specific focus on economic objectives, the initiative would contribute to the peoples of the Mediterranean living in a peaceful environment, have an equitable income and opportunities for the future.

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