Barcelona, May 6, 2020– The Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) and the Eurecat technology center have signed an agreement to launch joint initiatives that contribute to mitigate the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic of through technology and innovation, with special attention to the recovery of industrial and business sectors.
The agreement establishes that ASCAME and Eurecat will develop common initiatives, meetings, forums, projects and other types of actions, in order to alleviate the negative effects of the coronavirus. To this end, the teams from both entities will work together to prepare studies on the evolution’s forecast of sectors such as tourism, innovation, R&D, textiles and renewable energy in the Mediterranean region. They will also cooperate in the design of products like masks, tests and other sanitary materials and launch projects within the framework of different European programmes to fight Covid-19.
In the words of ASCAME’s General Coordinator, Anwar Zibaoui, “All resources must be put at the service of the Mediterranean, its economies and its peoples. We must unite the wills, defend the converging interests and bet on better cooperation. Now more than ever is the time to make the best use of technology and innovation to face the devastating consequences, both on health and economy, of the coronavirus crisis on families and the business sector”.
“From Eurecat technology center, we have made all our capacities and infrastructures available to governments, companies and organisations to carry out projects that contribute to responding to the health, economic and social priorities that Covid-19 has unleashed. An example of this is the agreement signed with ASCAME with the aim of working together to lessen the impact of the pandemic in all its dimensions”, remarks Eurecat’s Business General Director, Miquel Rey.
Eurecat is the main technological center of Catalonia and its activity is based on the contribution of differential technology to respond to the needs of innovation and boost competitiveness of the business world. The added value it brings accelerates innovation, decreases spending on scientific and technological infrastructures, reduces risks and provides specialised and custom made knowledge to each company.
As an international non-profit organisation, ASCAME represents the Mediterranean private sector, bringing together more than 300 Chambers of Commerce and Industry and similar entities from 23 countries. Its purpose is to promote the economic development of the Mediterranean and contribute to the creation of an area of peace, tolerance, security and prosperity. In addition, one of the objectives of its strategic plan is to promote entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the region.