A delegation from ASCAME, made up of representatives from Jordan, Croatia, Barcelona and Murcia, took part on 18 and 19 June in the Barcelona Economic and Social Forum, an initiative promoted by Prensa Ibérica and ”la Caixa” Foundation that brought together leading figures from the fields of security, economy, politics, energy and civil society.
As part of the forum, the round table “Alliances for Shared Prosperity” focused on the dialogue with the Mediterranean business sector. The President of ASCAME and of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Dr Josep Santacreu, promoted this space with the aim of bringing the Spanish audience closer to the economic and business realities of two major strategic areas of the Mediterranean: the Balkans and the Middle East. The session addressed key issues such as economic cooperation, regional connectivity, business resilience, investment in infrastructure and female leadership.
During his speech, Santacreu stressed that “the Mediterranean is a sea of opportunities and shared prosperity” and defended the importance of strengthening the future Pact for the Mediterranean as an instrument to reinforce ties between Europe and its Mediterranean neighbours. He also underlined that this framework will only be able to achieve its objectives if it actively incorporates the private sector and Chambers of Commerce as essential actors in regional economic development.
“Our message is simple: if Europe wants to build genuine shared prosperity with its Mediterranean neighbourhood, it must count on businesses. They are the ones that generate employment, investment, innovation and opportunities on both sides of the Mediterranean”.
The session, moderated by Ms. Gemma Martínez, Director of El Periódico, also featured the participation of Mr. Fathi Al Jaghber, President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, who began his remarks by thanking the Government of Spain for its position in support of Palestine and its rejection of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. Mr. Al Jaghber stressed that this stance is widely valued by many sectors in the countries of the eastern Mediterranean shore, a positive perception which, as highlighted during the debate, can contribute to strengthening economic, institutional and business relations between both shores.
The Jordanian representative also brought the business perspective of the Middle East and highlighted the resilience of the region’s productive fabric: “We are used to problems in the Middle East; we learn from them and they make us stronger”. In this regard, he emphasised the adaptability of Mediterranean businesses in complex contexts, as well as the need to turn regional challenges into opportunities for cooperation, investment and shared growth.
For her part, Ms. Sara Štrljić Pezelj, representative of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, highlighted the need to maintain and intensify investment in infrastructure in order to accelerate logistics chains and strengthen trade exchanges in the Mediterranean, particularly from a maritime perspective. She also shared common challenges related to the transformation of the tourism sector towards more sustainable, competitive and resilient models.
The Croatian representative also stressed the importance of promoting female leadership and moving towards the full participation of women in the economy, supporting female entrepreneurship through programmes of support, training, mentoring and access to finance. Her remarks highlighted that women’s economic inclusion is not only a matter of equality but also a key factor in strengthening competitiveness and social cohesion across the Mediterranean region.
During the second day of the forum, His Majesty King Felipe VI attended the event and had the opportunity to exchange views with Mr. Xavier Coronas, Secretary General of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, and Ms. Andrea Mullerat, Corporate Development and Marketing Manager at ASCAME. Both conveyed to His Majesty the active role played by ASCAME in promoting trade exchanges, business cooperation and economic integration in the Mediterranean region.
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At the opening of the event, Mr. Josep Moll, President of Grupo Prensa Ibérica, and Mr. José María Coronas, Director General of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, co-organisers and hosts of the forum, also underlined the essential role of Chambers of Commerce as key institutions for strengthening the business fabric, facilitating the internationalisation of companies and generating new opportunities for collaboration between both shores of the Mediterranean.
Participants agreed that the future Pact for the Mediterranean represents a strategic opportunity to promote deeper economic integration, strengthen trade exchanges and give the private sector a greater role in building a shared prosperity agenda for the entire region. In this context, Chambers of Commerce are consolidated as fundamental platforms for connecting companies, identifying opportunities, facilitating investment and turning institutional dialogue into concrete projects.
ASCAME’s participation in this forum reaffirms its commitment to the development of a more integrated, sustainable, competitive and prosperous Mediterranean space, based on economic cooperation, business dialogue and the creation of shared opportunities. In this regard, the organisation will continue working to ensure that companies and Chambers of Commerce play a central role in the future architecture of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and in the implementation of the Pact for the Mediterranean promoted by the European Union.
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