The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) will organize, in cooperation with the United Nations Trade and Productive Capacity Cluster, UNECE and UNCTAD, the high-level inter-governmental conference “Harnessing Trade for Growth in the Mediterranean”. The event will take place on 30-31 May 2013 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The main objective of the conference is to define specific policies and operational instruments to stimulate growth in the region, and to adopt tailored recommendations in support of Trade facilitation, SMEs, infrastructure, investments and job creation in the Mediterranean. It will gather over 200 parliamentarians, representatives of governments, entrepreneurs, investment promotion agencies and academics from the whole Mediterranean basin and from all UN member states, together with experts of the major international and regional financial institutions.
In view of the conference, PAM had convened in Rabat, Morocco, on 3-4 May, the Steering Committee of the PAM Panel on Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, operating under the auspices of the 2nd Standing Committee, and the Executive Members of the Energy Group, where parliamentarians and representatives from international, regional, governmental, private sector, academic and financial institutions translated their conclusions into proposals and suggestions to serve as a base to animate the Geneva meeting debate.
In Rabat, the participants focused on the global crisis, trends in the Mediterranean and the impact on national and regional economies. Other major issues included the role of parliamentarians in their capacity as legislators responsible for the introduction of new initiatives aimed at creating the most suitable environment for national and regional growth.
Within the regional perspective, both parliamentarians and representatives from the private sector targeted the need to concentrate on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the facilitation to access finance, job creation, youth employment, infrastructure and more integration. The correlation between stability and economic development was also discussed with MPs, who were called to take all the necessary legislative measures at the national and community level, sought by the economic actors.
The Executive Members of the Energy Group within the PAM Panel discussed the current priority issues concerning the various aspects of energy. The Group also stressed the urgent need to face the proliferation of uncoordinated initiatives in this sector, and unanimously requested PAM, as a neutral entity, to facilitate the dialogue and the adoption of a coherent approach by all actors involved.
In Geneva, the Agenda includes the following main topics: The Economic Crisis in the Euro-Mediterranean Region in a Global Perspective; Revitalizing Trade; Developing Transport; Infrastructure; Increasing Investment; Strengthening Energy Systems; Improving Productive Capacity and Risk Management in Trade.