THEME [INCO.2012-1.3]
INCONET – Mediterranean Partner Countries
Deliverable N.: D3.6
Title: Second review paper
Funding scheme: Coordination and support action
Project Acronym: MED-SPRING
Project Coordinator: CIHEAM-IAMB, Claudio Bogliotti
Grant Agreement n°: 311780
Authors: CSIC
Dissemination level: PU (Public)
Coding: MED-SPRING/WP3/D3.6/V1/Second-review-paper
Official delivery date: M48
Project start: 1 February 2013
Project duration: 48 months
311780 MED-SPRING
Second review paper
Abstract
EU-MPC cooperation has traditionally been mainly supported by bilateral national agreements. The establishment of the INCO Programs in the EU Framework
Programs for Research has introduced a key element in this cooperation for the
last 20 years. The dedicated calls for INCO were preceded by the work of teams of
experts from the European Union Member States (EU MS) and the Mediterranean
Partners Countries (MPC) to identify those topics of common interest. The experience shows that along these 20 years of EU-MPC cooperation in research, water
management and environment, food production, energy, health, cultural heritage
and ICT, are the key priorities for the MPC. However, other fields of cooperation
have also been developed as shown by the analysis of EU-MPC co-publications in
most of the scientific areas.
1
Contents
1 Presentation and Background
2
2 SMEs - Knowledge building actors and the need for public/private research partnerships
4
3 EU-MPC Political landscape in the
tion policies
3.1 Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2 A way toward higher performance .
3.3 Facts and actions . . . . . . . . . .
Research and Innovation coopera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4 Conclusions
1
5
5
6
8
14
Presentation and Background
Scientific research is currenlty being appreciated in the political arena as a tool for economic development and support to governance. The mounting cost of research infrastructures and maintenance of research systems has led all states in the search for identifying
cooperation schemes to address common research priorities and benefit of financial instruments.
We see that in most of the political fora dealing with EU-MPC cooperation in Scientific Research, such as the “Monitoring Committee for Scientific Cooperation” (MoCo)1
established as an outcome of the Barcelona process (1995), the “Euro-Mediterranean
Conference on Research and Innovation”2 held in Barcelona on April 2012 and organized
by the European Commission, or the recent “5+5 Conference of States of the Western
Mediterranean (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Portugal, Spain, France,
Italy and Malta) on Scientific Research”3 , celebrated in Rabat in September 2013, the
cooperation priorities turn around the same critical, but not exclusive, issues of Water
and Environment, Food production and Energy.
These were key priorities in the INCO-Med Programs, and were considered as mobilizing topics in the effort made by the two FP7 INCO.Nets Projects, MIRA4 and MEDSPRING5 , to promote EU-MPC cooperation in Innovation (MIRA Workshops on Water
1
http://www.miraproject.eu/moco-area
https://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2012/euro-mediterranean/index_en.cfm
3
http://ufmsecretariat.org/the-union-for-the-mediterranean-strengthens-cooperationin-scientific-research-with-the-western-mediterranean-countries-55-dialogue/
4
http://www.miraproject.eu
5
http://www.medspring.eu
2
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and Energy) through the training in research driven clusters to Mediterranean stakeholders in Germany and Italy in order to favor the setting of thematic bi-regional clusters, or
by opening a Forum on the fine-tuning of the inter-domain (Food-Water-Energy) research
priorities in EU-MPC cooperation for the future Horizon 2020 Framework Program (MEDSPRING Euro-Mediterranean Expert Group Meeting (EMEG) in Lisbon July 2013).
The urgency of tackling global societal challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean area has
opened the discussion for global research programmes, based on the cultural ties between
countries, the common benefit and political objectives. Efforts are being made by several
governments from the Mediterranean countries to tackle these challenges, among which
we can highlight food, water and energy security, demographic changes and the responses
to the impact of climatic change. Most of these countries currently suffer of water crisis
due to population growth and subsequent increasing water demand against very limited
renewable water resources that are unequally distributed in space and time.
During 2015 almost all southern Mediterranean countries will be below the level of
severe water scarcity at less than 500 cubic meters per capita per year; nine countries will
be below 200 cubic meters, six of which below 100 cubic meters and climate change will
worsen the situation. Over 85% of fresh water is used for agriculture, with more than
half wasted due to unsustainable practices. Given this context, food crop production is
restricted in the Mediterranean region. Typical food and feed crops cultivation (cereals,
legumes, pastures) under semi-arid and arid conditions in Mediterranean countries are
affected by increasing multiple abiotic stress factors brought about by climate change.
Moreover, food prices fluctuations are severely affecting the food security in the area,
as an example, a ton of wheat cost 150 USD in 2010, and are 300 USD today. There is a
need to improve food production by introducing climate-proof varieties in crop rotations
of wheat, grain legumes and new crops (potentially high value food cash crops).
In a rain-fed system with supplemental irrigation or in irrigated areas, there is a need
to improve water productivity without effecting quality, using marginal-quality water
(e.g. saline, brackish groundwater, treated waste water) and harvested rainwater. These
measures are expected to accelerate the adoption of improved agricultural practices and
support small farmers livelihood and income levels, as exposed at theSWUP-MED Project
Final Conference”, held in Agadir on 20136 .
6
http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/events/2013/03/swup-med-project-finalconference-sustainable-water-use-securing-food-production/
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2
SMEs - Knowledge building actors and the need
for public/private research partnerships
Several ministries are concerned by these challenges, such as agriculture, industry and
also Small and Medium size enterprises (SMEs) and scientific research. A mobilization
of all stakeholders and interested parties is a clear pre-condition to tackle these issues
with a minimum guarantee of success, and here comes one of the main issues at stake:
the coordination of efforts between the administrations, and the research and business
communities. Innovation, as a cooperative process, is essential for addressing the societal
challenges and facilitates the transition of economies towards resource efficient and competitive knowledge-based societies that ensure sustainable and inclusive growth and jobs.
A recurring demand is to link research to the problems and challenges of the industry,
usually SMEs in the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs), or even the acquisition
of emerging new knowledge by these companies. This is a fundamental question because,
typically, the intellectual interest of the higher education and the research organizations
should be directed toward identified global challenges to be studied by the scientific community. The point here is how common interests between the industrial sector and the
scientific community can be created or developed. There are two key issues: the conceptual
and “language” barriers between the two sectors and the shared benefits for both of them.
The first issue must be addressed by improving the qualification of the industry personnel, and by considering the chain of stakeholders in the knowledge transfer process;
technical sectorial laboratories are very useful in interpreting the needs of the industry,
particularly the SMEs, in terms understandable by the scientific community. The other
point is that the expected benefits have to be shared. Universities and research institutes
should take profit, including economic profit, from this interaction. The advantages must
reach the individual level for faculty members of the universities and these actions need
to be included in the curricula of the Universities and Academy. The setting-up of this
cooperative frame and the building of trust between the actors are fundamental steps in
the creation of a national innovation system. They are a strategic need and also a difficult
endeavor.
Industry in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries mainly consist of SMEs that
often have no funds and no human capacity to start new projects of cooperation with the
Academia, or initiate by themselves international cooperation. Awareness on the importance of academy/industry cooperation is rather poor in many MPCs. The reasons are
various and go from poor national innovation policies to lack of incentives for the academic
career, from the difficulties to find proper partners to the lack of communication about
opportunities. More mutual acknowledgment between academia and industry, and more
information and diffusion of demands and capacities is needed by the industrial sector.
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Industries and entrepreneurs are interested, most of the time, in short term cycles of
their investment. They know that research and academic activities may enhance and raise
product standards, which in turn raise the benefits, but they lack a strategic long term
vision that could be really useful to improve their technological skills. A plan is needed in
all the MPCs to make information available on the web to both the industry sectors and
the R&D resources in research institutions of the same sector as industry at national and
international levels. This is a real precondition to foster a research driven cluster policy in
different productive sectors, with the targeted objective of fostering the knowledge society.
Talent is a rare and valuable commodity; therefore all countries should promote the
development of talented people and try to make use of this enormous potential. Excellent research is an expression of the local talent, but we must be conscious that not all
excellent research brings about good immediate development, even if it is the seed for
future developments, and development is not always linked to excellent research. It is a
question of defining a clear strategy and enabling an environment that satisfies developmental needs and impulsion of new ideas and knowledge. Thus ”science for development
or science for innovation can in no way be opposed to science for academic excellence.
The MPC scientific community claims for a better research environment, less bureaucracy
and more linkage to the societal challenges of their countries, which could facilitate more
involvement with the industrial sector/SMEs.
3
EU-MPC Political landscape in the Research and
Innovation cooperation policies
3.1
Trends
As a reaction to the developments of 2011, the EU decided to support a comprehensive
reform and transformation agenda, as provided for in the two joint Communications on
“Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean” of
March 2011 and “A new response to a Changing Neighborhood” of May 2011.
The trend is nowadays to focus on a few topics and incorporate the industrial sector
to the research effort, as agreed in the Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Research and
Innovation (Barcelona Conference) of 2012, where one of the main conclusion was that
the cooperation agenda should cover the whole chain from research to innovation, mobilizing universities, research centers and industry, and extending to organizations that
provide support services, such as financial institutions and investors. Science cannot ignore societal changes and challenges on both sides of the Mediterranean; crises are also
opportunities to promote better use of resources, including knowledge.
Making use of the existing results of science, technology and products to address
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societal and economic challenges could be useful to create an innovation-driven culture and
identify where industrys interests lie. We must pass from usual fragmented cooperation to
full partnership between EU and the MPCs (regulations, institutional building, etc.) to
facilitate the uptake of knowledge by industry and shorten the gap between research and
market. But, fostering innovation by developing a widespread ”culture of innovation” is a
difficult and long-term oriented kind of policy, hampered many times by the conservative
values of the society. Moreover, we must recall the so-called innovation paradox elaborated
on the basis of the evidence of the European Regional Innovation Strategies: ”the more
a country or a region needs innovation to maintain and improve the competitive position
of its business in an increasingly globalised economy, the more difficult it is to invest
effectively and to absorb public funds to promote innovation in these countries”. This
holds true also in the case of the Mediterranean Countries and the funds devoted to
international cooperation.
3.2
A way toward higher performance
Most of the surveys dealing with improvements of the Euro-Med S&T cooperation activities acknowledge the blocking effects of the administrative and financial management
barriers to make the most of the many bilateral and multilateral programs aimed at supporting the EU-MPC S&T cooperation. On the other hand, the new perspectives in the
European Neighborhood Policy and the upcoming EU Framework Program Horizon 2020
make emphasis on the co-ownership of the International Cooperation actions and the target of mutual benefits of these actions.
In this context, it is very important to explore the possible framework conditions,
mechanisms and instruments to facilitate the S&T cooperation, taking into account full
acknowledgment of the mutual benefits, co-ownership, co-financing and co-responsibility
of all the participating parties. The issue is not that simple, because mechanisms that
respect national legislation of cooperation in both the MPC and the EU and the handling
of financial resources are not easy to harmonize and agree. Therefore, it is important to
explore possible solutions in the frame of international agreements, or legal solutions that
do not contradict the national procedures in the participating countries.
The experience of the ERA.Net MED Project7 Call for proposals the 1st November
2014 and the good response of the participating countries in terms of financial support
and participation of interested research groups from all the engaged countries, indicates
a promising way of improvement and impulse of the EU-MPC cooperation in research
and innovation, by making effective the co-ownership, co-financing and co-responsibility,
frame of the new partnership EU-MPC. Also important is to readdress this cooperation
with innovative instruments that would augment its impact and widely engage the com7
http://www.eranetmed.eu/
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munities of the partnering countries to ensure sustainability of the cooperation.
The use of Article 185 of the EU Treaty8 , where some member states can decide to implement an action not shared by the rest of the members, is a possibility that is currently
being explored as a mandate of the GSO-MoCo and with the full support of a significant
number of European and Mediterranean countries. MED-SPRING INCO.Net Project,
and ERA.Net MED will make their best to analyze the circumstances of this initiative
and provide intellectual support to it.
This kind of actions could obtain limited support from the EC and can be governed
by the agreements between participating countries. We can say that in spite of the difficult times we are living, both sides of the Mediterranean have acknowledge the necessity
of working together in some key shared issues, and we are passing from the traditional
spontaneous and wisher approach for scientific cooperation to a more pragmatic frame
where common interest and shared co-ownership marks the agenda.
The Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation in Research and Innovation during 2014 witnessed the change in the European Commission. A good synthesis of the state of affairs
between the EU and the MPC is the article of former Commissioner for Enlargement and
Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fle, published in IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 20149 :
Changes in the Arab world represent a historical milestone in the countries of the
Southern Mediterranean. While the call for dignity, democracy, respect for human rights
and more inclusive growth has permeated the entire region, each partner has undergone a
different process of transition in the last three years.
Since 2011, progress was witnessed towards free and fair electoral processes in some
countries of the region, often resulting in a change of government. The development of
political parties and of civil society signals the emergence of a democratic culture, and
in a few countries public debates have been initiated, in some cases around constitutional
reform, on key societal issues such as the role of religion in the new democratic set up
and the protection of human rights.
However, the risk of crisis or set back is real in a context of polarization of political
forces and in the absence of an agreement among political actors on a joint vision for
the political transformation process. In recent months, the unstable political situation and
growing social unrest have strongly affected the performance of the Southern Mediterranean
governments in implementing reforms. The continuing change revealed even greater differences between the transition trajectories of individual countries in the region.
8
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/art185/home_en.html
http://www.iemed.org/publicacions/historic-de-publicacions/anuari-de-lamediterrania/sumaris/iemed-mediterranean-yearbook-2014
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Embedding deep democracy in the future will rely upon democratic institutions, in particular an independent, fair, accessible and efficient justice system and an accountable
and democratic security sector. This will take time, while the respect for the rule of law
and human rights, in particular gender equality, freedom of expression (including freedom
of the media), of association, religion and belief will remain key challenges in the years
ahead for Mediterranean partners and their successful cooperation with the EU.
A thriving civil society supported by media that are both independent and professional,
able to contribute to public debate and accountability will be essential to ensure the full
participation of citizens in shaping their collective future, and authorities should favour
its development rather than attempt to restrict it, as it is often the case. Similarly, accountable local authorities are key to providing services that respond to local needs.
Ensuring peace and stability in the region remains an objective that can only be addressed through renewed efforts at the peaceful resolution of protracted conflicts and crises.
Events over the last twelve months have not been encouraging.
The Syrian conflict triggered a profound crisis causing further political, social and
religious divisions as well as a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the region. The
political track pursued through the Geneva peace process has not moved forward. The opposition to Bashar Assad remains divided and internal fights have intensified. The civil
war in Syria led millions of people to flee their homes. The Syrian refugee crisis is a humanitarian catastrophe on an unprecedented scale - with 6.5 million internally displaced
persons inside Syria and nearly 3 million refugees in neighboring countries. By summer
2014, it was estimated that the death toll of the conflict had reached 170,000 people. The
EU and its Member States are the major donors of assistance to Syria with 2.8 billion
pledged so far.
In Libya, despite parliamentary elections held in June 2014, not only is the democratic transition under question, but conflicting interests among various armed groups
over power-sharing, the role of religion and oil revenues have driven the country towards
the brink of collapse and have prevented the emergence of functioning state institutions. In
addition, the lack of any control over vast areas of the Sahara has allowed illegal trafficking
to flourish and much easier movement of criminal and terrorist groups.
3.3
Facts and actions
The Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation in Research and Innovation has been marked by
the influence of the Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Research and Innovation, held in
Barcelona in April 2012, the agreement reached in high level informal Meetings during the
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Cyprus Presidency of the EU10 during the 2nd semester of 2012 about the need to move
forward the application of Art. 185 of the EU Treaty to handle the Euro-Mediterranean
cooperation in RTD, and the changing political scenario developed in the Mediterranean
countries.
Important Milestones of the EU-MPC cooperation was the replacement of the European Neighborhood Policy Instrument (ENPI)11 by the European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI), 2014-2020, financed by 15.4 Billions , as mentioned by former Commissioner
Fle, aimed at providing incentives for best performers. The EU supports closer cooperation and dialogue with its Southern Neighbors and is fully engaged in the transformation
process in the region.
It is worth mentioning the important actions carried out during 2014 promoted by
the Italian Presidency of the EU12 in the second semester, particularly its pursuit of the
discussion on the PRIMA proposal, as the Permanent Representatives Committee, was
asked by the Italian Presidency to examine the remaining open issues on PRIMA13 in
view of the adoption of these draft conclusions by the European Council (Competitiveness) of 4-5 December 2014. An Impact Assessment Study on PRIMA is being carried out.
Other important initiatives were the Final Statement of the Italian Presidency High
Level Conference “Building a Euro-Mediterranean energy bridge: the strategic importance of Euro-Med gas and electricity networks in the context of energy security”14 held
in Rome 19 November 2014, where it is proposed to invigorate the cooperation by establishing, in the context of the Union for the Mediterranean process, three thematic
platforms dedicated to pursuing high level dialogue on the topics covered by this conference. The intention is to provide a permanent high level forum for discussing energy
policy objectives and measures, with a view to identifying specific and concrete partnership actions and following up on their implementation.
The “Euro-Mediterranean Platform on Gas”15 should assist governments and industry
operators to develop shared perspectives and propositions on natural gas issues in order
to reinforce the security of gas supply and the regional gas exchanges; should promote and
exchange regulatory and commercial practices; and allow all countries in the region to be
part of an increasingly integrated gas market, with a view to creating a Mediterranean
Gas Hub. It is proposed that such platform be supported by the “Observatoire MEditer10
http://www.cy2012.eu/en/page/home
http://www.enpi-info.eu/ENI
12
http://italia2014.eu/en/
13
https://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index.cfm?pg=prima
14
http://www.medreg-regulators.org/Portals/45/immagini_home/Rome_Final_statement_on_
the_HighLevel_Conference.pdf
15
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/commissioner-launches-euro-mediterranean-gasplatform
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raneen de l’Energie” (OME), building on its experience in promoting regional dialogue
and cooperation in the Mediterranean gas sector. The “Euro-Mediterranean Platform
on Regional Electricity Market”16 should assist governments and their partners in the
gradual establishment of regional and sub-regional inter-connected electricity markets,
namely by exploring the feasibility of appropriate options and arrangements between the
EU and interested Mediterranean countries, as a means to provide a better framework for
attracting investment.
It is proposed that this platform be supported by the UfM Secretariat17 , with the
assistance of the regional associations of the energy regulatory authorities (MEDREG)18
and the transmission systems operators (MEDTSO)19 and other key stakeholders. The
“Euro-Mediterranean Platform on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” should assist
governments and industry operators in the deployment of renewable energy and energy
efficiency technologies and projects and of national energy efficiency action plans, and
the creation of favourable conditions for private sector investments. It is proposed that
this platform be supported by the UfM secretariat, building on its experiences; inter alia,
in relation to the Mediterranean Solar Plan. The Italian Presidency of the EU and the
European Commission propose that a UfM Energy Ministerial meeting be convened, in
the second semester of 2015, where the work of the proposed dialogue platforms can be
presented and discussed in detail.
The ENPI/ENI CBC Med Programme20 was discussed on 12th December 2014 during
the NextMed Conference. The event, sponsored by the Italian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union, saw a massive participation of over 500 people from the whole
Mediterranean area. Enhanced cooperation among countries of the region under the new
European Neighborhood Instrument was highlighted as a contribution to a more integrated Mediterranean region, from the economic, political, social, and cultural points of
view.
Another important event to highlight was the “Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change”21 held on the 13 May 2014, in Athens
under the Greek Presidency of the EU22 . The Minister decided to establish a “UfM Climate Change Expert Group” and agree its first meeting to take place by October 2014;
16
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/commissioner-launches-euro-mediterraneanelectricity-market-platform
17
http://ufmsecretariat.org/
18
http://medreg-regulators.org/
19
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/euro-mediterranean-region-signs-agreementregional-electricity-markets
20
http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/en
21
http://ufmsecretariat.org/union-for-the-mediterranean-ufm-ministerial-meeting-onenvironment-and-climate-change/
22
http://gr2014.eu/
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the Expert Group should meet at least once a year and bring together governments,
agencies, civil society, relevant international institutions including international donors,
private sector representatives and other experts, The Expert Group will be co-chaired by
the UfM co-Presidencies.
The UfM Secretariat will act as secretariat to the group; Ministers invite the Expert
Group to report on its progress in the second semester of 2015 at senior officials level.
The Ad Hoc UfM Senior Officials Meeting on Energy was held on 29- 30 May 2013 in
Jordan was an important milestone for the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) endorsed by
the UfM Ministerial Meeting on Energy on 11 December 2013 in Brussels. The Senior
Officials discussed the MSP Master Plan Draft prepared under the auspices of the UfM
Secretariat. They also discussed the wider preparation of the UfM Ministerial Conference
on Energy, notably regarding the agenda and key deliverables. The MSP was launched
in July 2008 at the Paris Summit by the Heads of State and Government of the 27 EU
Member States and 16 Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries. It aims to substantially increase power generation from renewable sources, mainly solar and wind, in the
region, setting a target of 20 GW of installed capacity by 2020. It also aims to enhance
the use of energy efficiency technologies.
During the 5+5 (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Libya + Portugal, Spain,
France, Italy and Malta) Western Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Research and
Higher Education, held in Rabat in September 19-20, 2013, the Ministers agreed the socalled Rabat Declaration, where they lauded, among other initiatives, the ”Partnership in
Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean area (PRIMA)”, aimed to apply the Article 185 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to the improvement of the
Bi-regional cooperation in Research and Innovation, in order to create a stable long-term
and sustainable frame of partnerships on specific topics on the basis of co-ownership, codecision, and co-financing. They believed that an effective scientific cooperation is likely
to encourage the exchange of experience in science and technology policies, improving the
management of national research and innovation systems, and the development of centers
of excellence at the national and sub-regional levels.
They resolved to promote regional integration among the countries of the Maghreb
Arab Union and the continuous deepening of relationships between the Maghreb and
the European Union, the Union for the Mediterranean and Partner States, based on a
shared vision of collective responsibility and participation, in addition to solidarity among
the countries. They were convinced of the complementarities and synergies that could
exist or get created through projects and programs approved within a European or EuroMediterranean framework, and they agreed, among other matters, to encourage and to
facilitate the multilateral mobility (North-South, South-North and South-South) - including the support of the granting of scientific visas, to support and promote joint training
of researchers, while opting for access to the research infrastructures and initiatives, to
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facilitate the use and transfer of technology, to promote institutional twinnings in the area
of governance of research, and boost the creation and exploitation of joint laboratories,
units, and platforms.
The Ministers called for prioritizing multidisciplinarity and the use of information and
communication technologies, as well as the humanities and social sciences as relevant
tools, and called for a significant use of all instruments foreseen in the Framework of the
Research and Innovation Programme Horizon 2020; as well as those that could be developed under joint initiatives (information dissemination, networking, project Engineering,
exchange of experience, collaborative projects, mobility programmes). The Ministers
supported the membership of the countries of the southern shore of this Dialogue in the
ERANET scheme, aiming to facilitate the coordination of national programmes (such as
ARIMNET23 , ERANETMED) and their partnership with initiatives of joint programming24 , joint technological initiatives and public-private partnerships. In addition, they
encouraged the participation in the European Initiative for Cooperation in Science and
Technology (COST)25 .
The Ministers encouraged experts in their respective countries to examine the possibility of creating, in the Mediterranean countries, antennas of existing co-location centers
of communities of knowledge and innovation of the European Institute of Innovation and
Technology. The Ministers encouraged the setting up of a network of partnerships among
institutions with the aim of implementing concrete actions in training managers and topexecutives. In this regard, the Ministers expressed their full support to the foster of
academic and scientific mobility within the training structures and research institutes in
the member Countries, starting from already existing initiatives, such as the Mediterranean Office of Youth and the Erasmus Plus Program which will be launched in 2014.
They expressed their support to student mobility programs that will be launched in 2014
in the framework of the UfM.
To ensure the implementation of the 5+5 Rabat Declaration, the Ministers decided
the creation of a Follow-Up Committee and mandated it to setting up, in conjunction
with the General Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean, an action plan based on
the following agreed upon principles:
ˆ Extending participation, as appropriate, to other countries not members of the 5+5
Dialogue,
ˆ Establishing balanced North-South partnerships for the benefit of all partners,
23
http://www.arimnet.net/
http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/joint-programming-initiatives_en.html
25
http://www.cost.eu/
24
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ˆ Funding based on the capabilities of each country, with the possible support of EU
agencies,
ˆ Fixing thematic priorities, actions and instruments,
ˆ Promoting synergy among existing and future bilateral, multilateral and EU programs,
ˆ Emphasizing the valorization of research results, boosting innovation and facilitating
the creation of spin-offs and start-ups,
ˆ Promoting the integration of new technologies.
The said Action Plan will favor the emergence of new promising projects with a high
added value taking into consideration common priorities and mutual interests.
The 19th Meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Group of Senior Officials in Research
and Innovation (EU-MED GSO, old MoCo) took place the 25 September 2014, in Brussels. The Italian delegation updated on the priorities of the ongoing Italian Presidency
of the EU Council. The Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in research and innovation and
PRIMA initiative are priorities for the Italian Presidency. The delegation expressed satisfaction at the efforts of the countries involved in the initiative.
The Report of the Innovation Working Group on the outcomes of the “Euro-Med Innovation Workshop”, held on 28th April 2014 in Brussels was presented by the Group leader
Hamid El Zoheiry, who also informed about the follow-up meeting with the international
financial institutions. He presented a draft framework and elements of a Joint Regional
Action addressing the Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Agenda. The draft Action Plan
was approved. The Group agreed that a follow-up event with all stakeholders (particularly industry ministries and representatives, including SMEs) should be organized.
The UfM expressed its support and willingness to participate in co-organizing such
an event. Hamid El Zoheiry used the occassion to inform the Group about his departure
from the Egyptian Ministry and that Egypt will continue to respect its commitmments
through his successor. The Co-Chairs thanked him for his contribution to the GSO work.
The European Commission updated on the most recent developments related to the two
bi-regional FP7 funded platforms - MedSpring and Eranetmed.
Angelo Ricabboni presented the progress of PRIMA initiative and thanked the countries involved for their efforts and support. He informed that PRIMA’s objective is to
present a comprehensive proposal to the European Commission by December 2014.
The European Commission presented the “Report on the implementation of the strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation”, and the accompanying
MED-SPRING project ˆ Second review paper
m MED-SPRING project B medspring@iamb.it
page 13 of 14
Roadmap for cooperation in research and innovation between the Southern Mediterranean
and the European Union. The Southern Mediterranean countries were invited to provide
their comments and input to the roadmap as the latter is a “living document”.
4
Conclusions
ˆ Scientific research is currenlty being appreciated in the political arena as a tool for
economic development and support to governance.
ˆ The urgency of tackling global societal challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean area
has opened the discussion for global research programmes, based on the cultural
ties between countries, the common benefit and political objectives.
ˆ Efforts are being made by several governments from the Mediterranean countries
to tackle these challenges, among which we can highlight food, water and energy
security, demographic changes and the responses to the impact of climatic change.
ˆ Innovation, as a cooperative process, is essential for addressing the societal challenges and facilitates the transition of economies towards resource efficient and competitive knowledge-based societies that ensure sustainable and inclusive growth and
jobs.
ˆ A recurring demand is to link research to the problems and challenges of the industry, usually SMEs in the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs), or even the
acquisition of emerging new knowledge by these companies.
ˆ The trend is nowadays to focus on a few topics and incorporate the industrial sector
to the research effort, as agreed in the Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Research
and Innovation (Barcelona Conference) of 2012, where one of the main conclusion
was that the cooperation agenda should cover the whole chain from research to
innovation.
ˆ Most of the surveys dealing with improvements of the Euro-Med S&T cooperation
activities acknowledge the blocking effects of the administrative and financial management barriers to make the most of the many bilateral and multilateral programs
aimed at supporting the EU-MPC S&T cooperation.
ˆ It is very important to explore the mechanisms and instruments to facilitate the
S&T cooperation, taking into account full acknowledgment of the mutual benefits,
co-ownership, co-financing and co-responsibility of all the participating parties.
MED-SPRING project ˆ Second review paper
m MED-SPRING project B medspring@iamb.it
page 14 of 14