Brussels, 18/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 19 February, industry ministers from the Euro-Mediterranean area are meeting in Brussels to review cooperation. This cooperation started in 1996 and has been punctuated with several other similar meetings - in Germany in 1998, in Cyprus in 2000, in Spain in 2002, in Italy in 2004, in Rhodes in 2006, in Nice in 2008, and in Malta in 2011. Every meeting focuses on the role of SMEs in the economic development of the southern Mediterranean and on the creation of a fertile and attractive “business environment”. The ministers have underlined on numerous occasions that SMEs, which are believed to be the principle creators of jobs, deserve special support from governments and regional institutions and, in order to be effective, this support must be accompanied by reforms in the countries themselves. The increased liberalisation of trade should strengthen the impact of this.
At Wednesday's meeting, the ministers are expected to decide to continue implementing the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise, adopted in Caserta in 2004 and regularly enriched since then, supported by the charter adopted by the EU for its own businesses. The recommendation to strengthen business networks has already been accepted by all. (FB/transl.fl)