The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chamber Federation (WCF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday 26th in order to strengthen the role of the Mediterranean business community.

The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chamber Federation (WCF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday 26th in the framework of the main economic event in the region: the 8th Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders which took place from the 26th to the 28th of November 2014 in Barcelona and the XXIII ASCAME General Assembly held on November 26th.

This agreement was signed by the President of ASCAME, Mr Mohamed Choucair and the President of the WCF, Mr Peter Mihoc and aims at promoting the best business practices and disseminates know-how among companies and especially SMEs in the region. “I believe it is safe to say that now the future of the global economy depends heavily on SMEs and they can count on ICC and WCF to strengthen their activities” has announced the President of the WCF. Mr Mihok also applauded the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding as an excellent first step to tap into new opportunities to exchange and promote best practices, as well as encourage entrepreneurial initiatives.

Finally, he highlighted the important role chambers play in strengthening economic recovery in the Mediterranean area through stronger small- and medium-sized enterprises. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the world business organization. It represents all the sectors and all the regions and gathers thousands of companies and professional federations within its national committees, in more than 120 countries. It plays a leading role in elaborating the rules of international trade and sharing best practices.

The World Chamber Federation (WCF) is an integral part of the ICC’s plans and aims at fostering the creation of networks and exchange of information about the best chambers’ practices. This agreement is in line with the mission of ASCAME to consolidate the role of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce by helping them to reach the best practices at the international scale. Besides, through this agreement, ASCAME will join nine other regional transnational bodies including Eurochambres, Association of Iberoamerican Chambers of Commerce (AICO), African and Francophone Consular Chambers (CPCCAF), Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), and Junior Chamber International (JCI) and will allow the ICC/WCF to play a major role in the Mediterranean region. As the first initiative of this new Memorandum of Understanding, ASCAME will participate in the World Chamber Congress organized by the ICC/WCF which will take place on June 10th to 12th, 2015 in Torino, Italy.