Brussels, 17/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November in Luxembourg, the EIB (European Investment Bank) is holding a seminar on the FEMIP (Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership) and human capital. The theme will be: "Matching Skills and Market Needs: The Human Capital Challenge in the Mediterranean Region". By tackling the main challenges posed by the employment market in the partner countries, this seminar, one of a series of FEMIP conferences, aims to contribute to reinforced dialogue in the Mediterranean basin.
The subject lies "at the heart of the economic debate", stressed Philippe de Fontaine Vive, vice-president of the EIB. He added that "education and training help to promote economic growth based on knowledge". This objective features among the commitments taken as part of the Euromed process and the EIB intends to play an active role in this via the FEMIP. Mr de Fontaine Vive believes that this facility can play a "voluntary role" in promoting higher education and skills in training in the Mediterranean region. In addition to support for education, the EIB and FEMIP have adopted a programme of training courses to improve the skills of the citizens of the partner countries and to consolidate the experience of working in a multicultural international environment. This programme, which was launched in 2006, has become one of the cornerstones of the EIB's commitment within the Euromed area, said Mr de Fontaine Vive. (F.B./trans.fl)