On 3 June 2021, the 2nd Standing Committee on Economic, Social and Environmental Cooperation held its annual debate in the framework of the 15th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM). During the session, PAM MPs reviewed the state of the economy and of the environment in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions.
Committee President, Hon. Pedro Roque (Portugal), chaired the session, highlighting the most significant efforts of PAM towards inclusive and sustainable recovery strategies. He underlined the Assembly’s efforts to develop effective science-policy interfaces for a green transition based on innovation and decarbonization.
In her report and recommendations, PAM Rapporteur on Economy, Hon. Ljubica Maksimčuk, (Croatia), called on policymakers to design fiscal support schemes targeting the economic segments hit hardest by the crisis. She invited Parliaments to devise recovery strategies that incentivize the private sector investments and public-private partnerships, while bolstering the digital and green transitions in the region.
Moreover, in his report and recommendations, PAM rapporteur on Environment, Hon. Alain Perea (France), urged parliaments to declare a state of environmental emergency and adopt an integrated approach to climate action and climate-related security risks.
The session benefited from a keynote address by the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), H.E. Francesco La Camera. He emphasized that the region has abundant renewable energy sources, which must drive stronger resilience by creating economic diversification and alleviating fossil fuel dependence.
Moreover, Hon. Giulio Centemero, Co-Chair of the PAM Economic Panel emphasized that tourism is and will be a vital part of the economic recovery and announced the creation of a new sectoral group on tourism within the panel, to be chaired by Hon. Dragan Krapović (Montenegro). Hon. Krapović announced that Montenegro is ready to take the lead on tourism issues within the Assembly and indicated Montenegro’s willingness to host the first PAM-WTO Forum on Trade and Investments in Podgorica, as soon as the pandemic allows it.
The debate among Committee member showed a clear consensus. The pathway forward must encompass effective and coordinated vaccine policies that will allow for the safe resumption of economic activities, including travel and tourism. Moreover, emphasis was placed on green investments, strategic innovation and digitalization, and the promotion of sustainability policies based on scientific evidence.