AFAEMME participates in the 25th Declaration of the Mediterranean Barcelona private sector

The online declaration conference started with an initial speech by Salaheddine Mezouar, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, the presentation of the initiatives were carried out by Maria Helena de Felipe, President of AFAEMME; Ahmed M. El Wakil, President of ASCAME; and Joan Canadell, President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. After more than 25 years elapsed since the Barcelona Process began in 1995, have also allowed to develop a new vision about what are the main problems of the Mediterranean and what types of proposals and instruments could be implemented when seeking answers that boost the development of the Mediterranean region and the construction of a common future between the two shores. The urgency of a reactivation to avoid economic and financial suffocation due to the impact of COVID-19, makes it necessary to lay the foundations for a new different economic development model based on promoting and enhancing innovation and digitisation, green and blue economies; prioritise the participation of women and youth in the regional economy; create a regional Erasmus; strengthen the contribution of diasporas; rescue and empower SMEs; create a subsidiary of the European Bank for Reconstruction for the Mediterranean; bet on tourism, the textile sector and sustainable agriculture; promote the Europe-Africa axis through the Mediterranean, and create a regional energy market, among other initiatives. In the same week that China has announced the creation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Association (RCEP), an Asia-Pacific economic integration zone that covers a third of the world's population and economic production, the Mediterranean and Europe should accelerate their integration and recover the vocation of Barcelona 1995 to create a free trade zone, peace and shared prosperity, as well as boost synergies between this future zone and the continental free trade zone of Africa.