Draft Programme

22 October 2019

8.15–9.00        Registration and welcome coffee

9:00-11:00      Opening session

Moderator:   Ms Dilyana Slavova, president of the Section for External Relations of the European Economic and Social Committee

  • Mr Rachid Maaninou, deputy secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat in charge of Business Development and Employment
  • Mr Luca Jahier, president of the European Economic and Social Committee
  • Ms María del Carmen Barrera, acting president of the Economic and Social Council of Spain

Interventions by guests of honour

  • Mr Levent Gök, Vice-president of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey
  • Mr Amr Talaat, Egyptian minister of communications and information technology tbc
  • Mr Konrad Mizzi, Maltese minister for tourism
  • Mr Mounir Mahjoubi, former French secretary of state for digital affairs and member of the French National Assembly
  • Mr Ahmed El Wakil, President of the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Mediterranean (ASCAME)

11:00–11.30   Coffee break and family picture

11:30–13.00   Session 1: Digitalisation and SMEs in the Mediterranean region, opportunities and challenges

This session is based on the draft report prepared by the EESC and sent to the delegations before the summit. It will provide an opportunity to address issues in a wide discussion with the audience.

Moderator: Mr Mohammad Nabulsi, secretary general, ESC of Jordan

  • Ms María Helena de Felipe Lehtonen, president of the Euromed Follow-Up Committee of the European Economic and Social Committee
  • Ms Rym Ayadi, founder of the Euro-Mediterranean Economist Association

Debate

13.00–14.30    Networking lunch hosted by the EESC

14.30–16.00   Session 2: Workshops

This session is dedicated to work in smaller groups, in order to develop more specific recommendations.

  • Workshop 1    The cost of non-digitalisation | Key speakers: Mr Dan Catarivas, ESC of Israel | Mr Benoit Denis, senior economist, European Investment Bank | Mr Nacer Kettane, Member of the ESEC of France | Moderator: Mr Moucef Kettani, ESEC of Morocco
  • Workshop 2    Digital skills and their impact on youth employment | Key speakers: Ms Dilyana Slavova, member, Bulgarian ESC | Mr Jan Drahokoupil, senior researcher, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) | Moderator: Mr Mehdi Omarouayache, NESC of Algeria
  • Workshop 3    Digitalisation to counter rural depopulation | Key speakers: Mr Juan José Álvarez, president of the Working Group on Agriculture and Fisheries, Economic and Social Council of Spain | Ms Laura Tabet, Egypt Focal Point at Access Agriculture | Moderator: Mr Erjon Curraj, Digital Transformation Expert, Albania

16:00–16:30   Coffee break

16:30–18:00  Session 3: Restitution of the workshop conclusion

In this session, the moderators of the three sessions will present the main recommendations developed in their respective workshops.

Moderator: Mr Shaher Saed, ESC of Palestine

Debate

18:00–19:30   Networking cocktail hosted by the EESC

23 October 2019

09.00-09.15     Interventions by guests of honour

  • Mr Roger Albinyana, Director of the Mediterranean Regional Policies and Human Development Department, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)
  • Mr Alaa Ezz, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Enhancing Business Support Organizations network (EBSOMED)

09.15–10.15    Session 4: The role of education and vocational training to increase digital skills

This session underlines the importance of education and vocational training to increase digital skills, essential for SMEs to succeed in their digital transformation. This session focuses on the EESC information report on Education and Vocational Training in the Mediterranean (REX/506) and constitutes a follow-up on discussions during the Euromed Summit 2018.

Moderator: Mr Georges Choueiri, member, ESC of Lebanon

  • Ms Cinzia Del Rio, rapporteur REX/506, EESC
  • Mr Xavier Matheu de Cortada, head of policy unit of the European Training Foundation (ETF)

Debate

10.15–11.15    Session 5:    External aid, investment, international trade and tourism

This session is dedicated to two recent opinions of the European Economic and Social Committee, notably External Aid, investment and trade as instruments to reduce economic migration (REX/516) and International Trade and Tourism – A global Agenda for Sustainable Development (REX/521). Both opinions tackle crucial issues of high importance to the Euromed Region.

Moderator: Mr Arno Metzler, president of the EESC's Diversity Europe Group

  • Mr Thomas Wagnsonner, co-rapporteur REX/516, EESC
  • Mr Alfred Gajdosik, rapporteur REX/521, EESC

Debate

11:15-11:45   Coffee break

11:45-12:55  Session 6:    Networks in the Euro-Mediterranean area – developing regional cooperation

This session gives the floor to regional networks to present their activities and enhance their visibility.

Moderator: Mr Henri Malosse, former President, EESC

  • Mr Mustapha Tlili, Executive Secretary of the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC)
  • Ms Beatriz Fdez-Tubau Rodés, Secretary-General of the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME)
  • Ms Carmen Comos, representative of the Euro-Mediterranean Social Economy Network (ESMED) and Director General of the Spanish Social Economy Employers’ Confederation
  • Mr Vicent Garcés Ramón, President of the Mediterranean Citizens' Assembly Foundation (MCAF)

Debate

12:55-13:00   Closing remarks

  • Ms Helena De Felipe Lehtonen, President of the Euromed Follow-Up Committee, EESC

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