Barcelona, April 28, 2017 – The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) has participated this week in Beirut, Lebanon, at the seventh edition of the Beirut International Franchise Forum and Exhibition (BIFEX). At this yearly event organized by the Lebanese Franchise Association (LFA), ASCAME, as the main representative of the regional private sector, has claimed for the development of a Mediterranean and Lebanon brand strategy to further boost prosperity and investments at the national and regional level.

This year’s edition,  attended by H.E. Mr Raed Khoury, Lebanon Minister of Economy & Trade; H.E. Dr Ghattas Khoury, Lebanon Minister of Culture; and H.E. Dr Hussein Hajj Hassan, Lebanon Minister of Industry, as well as a wide range of Arab retailers and entrepreneurs, and over 500 businessmen and businesswomen from the whole Mediterranean region, has counted with the presence of the President of ASCAME, Mohamed Choucair.

Choucair highlighted the importance of supporting SMEs and promote industries such as franchising and retails as one of the most important engines of economic growth in this vibrant Southern Mediterranean country. Indeed, the role of the government & public sector will be crucial in promoting and supporting SMEs and businesses. Further discussions among participants took place around new retail-inspired strategies and key leadership skills.

The importance of the Mediterranean

As participants agreed during the two-day event, Lebanon is a vital actor in the Euro Mediterranean alliance. For this reason, during BIFEX 2017 and in the framework of EU funded EUROMED Invest programme, ASCAME, the German Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GACIC) and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture of Beirut & Mount Lebanon (CCIA-BML) have organized the EU EUROMED Invest RoadShow of which ASCAME is consortium partner, which mobilized and match-made SMEs and business support organizations from 12 countries on both shores of the Mediterranean.

The European representatives attending the session stressed their commitment to supporting enterprises, businesses and SMEs, for which the franchise industry can be a crucial business model. Indeed, the franchise business model represents more than 2 million jobs and sales amounting to 145 billion euros in the regional economy.

As ASCAME representative, Dr Alaa Ezz has stressed in his opening address: “Franchise was born in the Mediterranean.”, after which he presented the ASCAME implemented 23 EU regional and cross border projects exceeding 100 million Euro and the Meda Finance survey that enlists over 23 billion Euro of grants, technical assistance and soft loans, all which can support franchise in various sectors.

The event closed this year’s edition with a strong commitment on the part of the countries of the region together with the European Union to work closely with Lebanon to improve its foreign direct investments and support SMEs activities, which was echoed by Mr Saad El Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon while addressing the conference official gala dinner.