Brussels, 11/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - On 14-16 March, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Tunisian Ministry of Development and International Cooperation will hold a meeting of technical and financial experts on research, development and innovation in the Mediterranean. The meeting, the 7th FEMIP (Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership, managed by the EIB for the benefit of this region) conference, will bring together representatives of the private and public sectors, including civil society, the universities and international experts.
Debate will focus on the role played by research, development and innovation in the competitiveness of Mediterranean economies, an issue that corresponds to the priority objectives the EIB has set itself for the Mediterranean, the Bank says. For Tunisia alone, FEMIP has financed the creation of five sectoral technology parks to the tune of some €140 million, with the aim of encouraging the growth of innovative SMEs.
The EIB, in the words of its vice-president, Philippe de Fontaine Vive, hopes that such conferences will help raise awareness in all the countries covered by FEMIP of the importance of research, development and innovation in terms of economic, technical and industrial development, as well as in skills, training and employment. “New directions” have been announced that will increase the number of innovative companies and enhance the competitiveness of existing companies in the countries of the region.
FEMIP, which was set up in 2002, has become the “go-to player” in the economic and financial partnership between Europe and the Mediterranean. As a project funding organisation, it has contributed €10 billion to projects in the nine Mediterranean partner countries, in particular in transport, energy and environmental infrastructure, support for business, training and tourism. Since the end of 2009, the EIB has been working with other investment funds (international and national, such as the French AFD and German KfW) to bring closer coordination and increased efficiency on the ground. (F.B./transl.rt)