Barcelona, 15 July 2016 – The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) strongly condemns the shameful massacre carried out yesterday in Nice, France, extending our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of France and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

Once again a Mediterranean city has been damaged by terror. Nice, the second-largest city in the south of France and the fifth largest in the French region is a city that demands attention, attraction and adulation in the Mediterranean region. In the last years, the GDP of Nice has increased by at least 2, 6% with the biggest portion attributed to tourism. Indeed, the number of tourists visiting Nice has increased by an estimated 30% over the last 5 years, attracting four million visitors a year, about half of which come from abroad. Nice also has the third busiest airport in France in terms of passenger numbers with over 11 million passengers every year.

For any economy that is driven by tourism, nothing could be worse than attacks such as the one that took place yesterday during the Bastille Day celebrations. The future of Nicean economy is stronger than ever and, so the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership must be too. France’s presence in the Mediterranean space is longstanding and its contribution has been indispensable in defining the current Euro-Mediterranean Association. France was at the heart of the launch of the Barcelona Process and the French have always strived to ensure the Partnership’s future. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership must be preserved at all costs.