The final conference of the EBSOMED project was held on Friday, June 16, 2023 in Brussels, bringing together the consortium of partners: Union méditerranéenne des confédérations d’entreprises (BUSINESSMED), EUROCHAMBRES (Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry), ASCAME (Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry), ANIMA Investment Network, CAWTAR (Centre de la femme Arabe pour la formation et la recherche), GACIC (German-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and the European Commission.
After more than 5 years of unwavering dedication, this closing event shared the remarkable achievements, groundbreaking ideas and promising prospects of the EBSOMED project.
As a precursor to Euro-Mediterranean economic development, the EBSOMED project embodies resilience and innovation. Despite regional challenges such as the recent pandemic and the economic crisis in Lebanon, EBSOMED has proven to be a transformative force, converting challenges into opportunities to promote sustainable development and political reform.
BUSINESSMED, the Union Méditerranéenne des Confédérations d’Entreprises, the project coordinator, presented its significant results:
• Studies by country
• Capacity-building
• B2B meetings
• The BCD: a sustainable tool paving the way for economic development in Mediterranean countries
Barbara Giacomello, President of BUSINESSMED, highlighted the creation of a vast network involving over 3,000 business organizations and the facilitation of unlimited business opportunities for 450 individuals. The project also focused on capacity building, engaging 534 organizations in the process.
The partners thus shared the achievements of their activities through the testimonials (sucess stories) of the participating organizations:
Luis Miranda, ASCAME project manager outlined his highly accomplished project activities, ranging from innovative capacity building and dynamic B2B events, to enlightening field visits and interactive labeling workshops.
Soukeina Bouraoui, President of CAWTAR presented the work carried out under the project, focusing on promoting women’s participation in the Mediterranean business ecosystem and their access to decision-making positions. In fact, gender mainstreaming has been a fundamental principle of EBSOMED. With over 2,700 women taking part, the project illustrates its commitment to empowering women and young people.
Emmanuel Noutary, ANIMA’s general delegate, took to the stage to present the various major activities and underline the concrete and tangible impact achieved thanks to his involvement in the project.
Tarek Cherif, president of the ANIMA network, praised EBSOMED’s transformative impact on the region, particularly in times of crisis. He stressed the need to instill hope and ensure dignified living conditions for the region’s young people. “We work as a team and learn from each other’s experiences. We take successful practices and best ideas, and share them to help overcome the problems facing countries. We work with governments to do our part in attracting investors,” he declared.
EBSOMED aims at boosting the Mediterranean Business Ecosystem promoting an inclusive economic development, by enhancing the private sector organisations in the Southern Neighborhood Countries. More specifically, EBSOMED will improve the overall management capacity of Mediterranean Business Support Organisations (BSOs) through enhanced services and quality standards.
EBSOMED is led by the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED) and implemented by a consortium of 6 partners. EUROCHAMBRES (Association of Chambers of Commerce in Europe); ASCAME (Association of Chambers of Commerce in the Mediterranean); ANIMA Investment Network; CAWTAR (Center of Arab Women for Training and Research); GACIC (German-Arabic Chambers of Commerce).
(Anima)
