The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) published a report on Thursday 27 May which reveals that integration has progressed in the UfM region. However, that progress has been slow and falls short of its potential in terms of capacity and resources.
The progression of integration has been uneven, across and within the UfM sub-regions, in all policy areas. For example, 70% of all freight traffic in the Mediterranean is between European ports, 15% is between Europe and North Africa, and only 5% is between Europe and the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa).
According to the report prepared by the OECD, there are two major challenges; insufficient transport and energy connectivity infrastructure and the lack of a shared vision on human mobility as a driver of innovation and growth in the region. According to the report, the MENA region will need to invest more than 7% of its annual regional GDP in infrastructure maintenance and creation.
The report provides key findings and policy recommendations in five areas: trade, finance, infrastructure, movement of people, research and higher education. It also provides specific performance indicators that can be used to monitor trends and progress over time.
Read the report: https://bit.ly/3oZJjpm (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)