Brussels, 23/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - Textile companies and representatives from sector organisations of the ten countries in the Euro-Mediterranean area, meeting in Tunisia on 19-20 January, have decided to create a network of interconnected, high-performance and competitive companies called E-MED TEX-NET, in order to enhance relations between actors in the textile-clothing sector between the EU and trade partners. The project is financially supported by the Commission (Programme Eumedis set up in the framework of the Barcelona Process). It should be up and running mid-2004 and enable all European and Mediterranean companies to find useful "on-line "information relating to their businesses. Its promoters intend to set up a "pole of Euro-Mediterranean excellence" to take up the challenge of globalisation. They have pointed out that with global production standing at EUR 141 billion of which EUR 60 billion is for export and a workforce of 6 million, the textile-clothing industry constitutes a "key sector of socio-economic balance in the EU/Mediterranean area and the number one industrial employer".