EUROMED

This report follows the conclusion of the 2015 Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions on cooperation with third countries in promoting regular migration to the EU and will be presented at the 2016 Euromed Summit. Cooperation with countries of origin and international bodies to increase transit possibilities for regular migrants to the EU is the most effective way of combating the illicit trafficking of people and meeting the need for workers in EU countries. The aim of the information report is to define the pillars that can facilitate cooperation on regular migration and ascertain what experience has been gained from labour migration agreements with countries of origin and from the ways in which the Member States manage recruitment abroad.

This report is the result of the commitment of the EESC Euromed Follow-Up Committee to women issues in the region.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is fully aware of the varying circumstances in different countries in the Mediterranean region. It is particularly aware of the conflict and instability affecting many southern Mediterranean countries. The EESC calls on the European Commission (EC) and governments of the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region to develop shared solutions to these challenges – including poverty, economic challenges, conflict and terrorism – which are resulting in unacceptable suffering, especially among women.

The central role that women play in the process of democratisation during transitional periods, when drafting national constitutions and when reforming current laws must be safeguarded and sustained through good governance in order to prevent setbacks in gender equality.

The Information report will explore the model and its success factors, and will provide recommendations for promoting its use in EU financial instruments supporting democracy and Human Rights, as well as for the EESC's structural relations with organised civil society in other countries in the region.

The information report will seek to take a holistic approach to situation of young people in the north and south of the region, looking not just at the employment market but at wider trends amongst young people also outside of work, their self-perception, their political and social outlook on the future, their living arrangements, their view of their parents' generation and other older generations, as well as their view of the region and its role in a globalised world.

The opinion examines what has become a key sector in the Euromed region. The uprisings in the Euromed region, besides putting the spotlight on the abuses of autocratic dictators, have also drawn attention to the urgent need for economic and social development, especially in rural areas. Food insecurity and high food prices are set to remain a problem in the region.