Barcelona, 4 December 2015 – The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME), will attend these days the Paris Climate Conference (COP21), to show its commitment to the use of renewable energies and sustainable models of production that generate fewer emissions in the Mediterranean region. The Conference, which finishes next 11th December, aims to reach a global agreement against climate change. In this context, a total of 36 proposals agreed on last June in the framework of the MEDCOP21, will be presented in order to obtain an economic growth of the region based on sustainable development.

The MEDCOP21, organized last June by the government of the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and in which ASCAME, together with the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Marseille (CCIMP), organized the session “Mediterranean companies and climate change”, approached 9 principal challenges to fight against the climate change in the Mediterranean region, such as: assert the appropriateness of Mediterranean, mobilize Mediterranean businesses in the fight against climate change, produce and consume energy differently and reinforce solidarity for sustainable towns and territories. Among the proposals that seek to give responses to these challenges, ASCAME bets for the creation of programmes for assistance to businesses in the fight against climate change. These mechanisms would accompany SMEs in order to contribute efficiently to fighting climate change.

ASCAME has been working for years in the private sector involvement on sustainable growth and the use of innovative and efficient models, renewables energies and the gradual elimination of the fossil fuels in the region. In particular, ASCAME is involved in 6 projects funded by the European programme ENPI CBC MED, which promotes the use of the solar energy, and whose successful results were presented last week in the II Mediterranean Solar Forum. These 6 projects, as FOSTER in MED, have been developed in 19 regions of 10 Mediterranean countries and have invested more than € 25 million. It is estimated that € 5 million will be saved thanks to the installed infrastructures in more than 30 public buildings in the region. Also, thousands of CO2 tons may be prevented in the coming years. It is the moment to gradually eliminate fossil fuels and, the technology of low carbon is ready in the region.

These aims will only be reached from the joint action of all the actors in the region. For this reason, last week ASCAME presented in the framework of 9th Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders, the 20+20 Declaration. The ASCAME’s initiative, supported by a total of 25 organizations and associations from Europe, the Mediterranean and the Arab World, have presented a total of 20 economic concrete initiatives that go online with the aims of the COP21 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as the promotion of the green economic and a sustainable and competitive model for the Mediterranean city.

The private sector, as the main motor for the economic growth and the social development of the region, must be prepared for the consequences that this new stage implies. Thus, programmes for assistance proposed by ASCAME in Paris become crucial for SMEs of the region to better adapt to this new scenario. The Mediterranean is in the anteroom of a fundamental change, not only in environmental terms but also a new economic paradigm based on innovation, efficiency and sustainability.