Barcelona, 24 November 2015 – ASCAME (the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry) organizes the 9th edition of the Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders, in order to take the voice of the private sector to the political sphere. In the framework of the 20 years of the Barcelona Declaration, 20 strategic economic initiatives supported by a wide range of regional and international organizations will be set out in the 20+20 Declaration to give new impetus to the Euro-Mediterranean integration, with the key support of the private sector in collaboration with the public sector.

ASCAME and the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat (UfM) have a strong strategic cooperation partnership. They work in close collaboration to foster employment opportunities, to promote social business initiatives, facilitate investment flow and increase the overall attractiveness of the Euro-Mediterranean region for investment.

Twenty years exactly after the Barcelona Declaration launched the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and taking into account the magnitude of the common challenges in the Mediterranean region the interconnection between the northern, southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean has to be now more reinforced than ever.

“We will continue to work together towards promoting full socioeconomic cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean despite the difficulties encountered along the way. Together, we can achieve more”, underlines the President of ASCAME, Mohamed Choucair.

“There is a need to address the root causes of the common challenges through socioeconomic and sustainable development in a comprehensive approach encompassing development, job creation, investment opportunities and inclusive growth”, states the Secretary-General of the UfM, Fathallah Sijilmassi.

ASCAME, the major organization of the private sector in the region, was created in 1982 on the pioneering initiative of promoting the economic integration between all countries of the region.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is the intergovernmental organisation bringing together 43 countries: 28 EU member states and 15 Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries.  It provides a unique forum to enhance regional cooperation and dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Its Secretariat was established in Barcelona in 2010.