• November 4th, 2024

ASCAME closed last week the 18th edition of the Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders, MedaWeek Barcelona 2024, with the commitment of all public and private sector actors to explore new ways of cooperation to accelerate the economic development of the region and ensure stability and peace in the countries of the Middle East. The institutional and business representatives who participated in this edition made it clear that they are committed to hope in the face of uncertainty and indifference, to dialogue instead of division and fragmentation of the region, to the exchange of ideas and knowledge between both shores of the Mediterranean and between East and West, to creating new opportunities, partnerships and alliances despite current and future threats.

MedaWeek 2024, held on October 29 and 30 at the emblematic Casa Llotja de Mar, brought together business delegations, CEOs, entrepreneurs and institutional representatives from 30 countries, both from the Mediterranean region and internationally. This edition was attended by Mr. Salvador Illa, President of the Generalitat, Mr. Josep Santacreu, President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jordi Valls, 4th Deputy Mayor of the Barcelona City Council, Ms. Ana María Martínez, President of Economic Development and Tourism of the Diputació de Barcelona and Mr. Pere Navarro, Special State Delegate of the Consorci de la Zona Franca, Mr. Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Mr. Senén Florensa, Executive President of the European Institute for the Mediterranean.

Also in attendance were Mr. Ahmed El Wakil, President of ASCAME, Mr. Anwar Zibaoui, ASCAME’s General Coordinator, as well as institutional and business representatives from France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon, among others. All of them agreed on the need to enhance public-private collaboration to seek joint solutions to the new challenges arising from the current geopolitical context. They also highlighted the crucial role that Barcelona plays in building bridges with Africa, Europe and Asia through dialogue and cooperation.

The celebration of MedaWeek has reaffirmed the position of Barcelona as a hub of the Mediterranean and has consolidated the event as the Mediterranean reference platform to give voice to the private sector. It has been a unique opportunity to showcase the region’s success stories, exchange experiences, foster business connections, and bring the Mediterranean closer to markets with great business opportunities, such as Canada -with emerging sectors of global reference in AI and IoT- or Africa -which is leading the digital transformation of the region and which also meets Europe’s demand for renewable energies and raw materials.

Through 10 multi-sector forums, MedaWeek Barcelona 2024 has analyzed the major global and local challenges facing the region, such as climate change, sustainable and responsible tourism, the new economy or the potential of sectors such as the creative industry, the sports sector, industries related to the blue and green economy, or the agrifood industry Precisely, as a result of the celebration of MedaWeek, ASCAME has already started talks with entrepreneurs from the creative and sports industries to promote initiatives in the southern and eastern fringe of the region and thus encourage the creation of start-ups, promote the exchange of knowledge and innovation, and actively involve the younger population segment in projects related to the digital transformation of the Mediterranean.

The next edition of MedaWeek, the 19th, will be held in November 2025 to coincide with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a regional cooperation project proposed by the Spanish government and promoted by the European Union in 1995 within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean summit held in Barcelona.