A more solidary and innovative partnership is required between the two shores of the Mediterranean to overcome the effects of the Covid-19 crisis and boost vital economic sectors in the Euro-Mediterranean region, said, on Tuesday in Marrakech, the President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), Ahmed Réda Chami.
Speaking at the 2022 Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions, Chami stressed “the need to define a more ambitious and bold strategic orientation for the future of our relations with the European Union (EU) to achieve the recovery and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.”
Chami, who believes that the EU must take more account of the existing disparities and respond more effectively to the expectations of its southern partners, reiterated CESE’s readiness to continue active cooperation with the European body and strengthen it further to make it more impactful.
The 2022 Euromed Summit is an ideal framework for dialogue, consultation and exchange in areas of common interest and an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two shores of the Mediterranean, he said.
According to Chami, this event “is also crucial to make heard the voice of the representatives of civil society and strengthen their active contribution to the construction of an area of peace and shared prosperity for the people of the Euro-Mediterranean space.”
“This pandemic, whose consequences are still visible, has exacerbated the fragility of our development models at the economic, social and environmental levels and has tested the solidarity between countries,” he said, recalling that Morocco, upon High Royal Instructions, had reacted quickly by sending medical aid to fifteen countries in Africa.
For Chami, the main lessons to be learned from the management of this crisis are the need for deep reform of our health systems and for social protection mode to develop regional value chains.
“I am firmly convinced that this summit in Marrakech, will be a milestone and an excellent opportunity to advance the talks for pragmatic solutions to our common challenges and for the successful revival of the Euro-Mediterranean project,” he concluded.
