12 Priorities for Action   

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Looking back at the 'EUMED means business'

event 21-22 May

Looking back at the 'EUMED means business' event 21-22 May

’EU Med means Business' conference

is about to kick off in Brussels.

'EUMED means business' conference brings 100 entrepreneurs to Brussels

Sima Najjar

is a young entrepreneur, explaining the business needs of Jordanian designers. She will attend the EU Med means Business conference on 21 and 22 May.

Interview Sima Najjar

Yahya Bouhlel

is a Tunisian CEO, highlighting the importance of bridging the digital skills of young people with the needs of businesses around the world.

Interview Yahya Bouhlel

Amina Mourid

is a cultural entrepreneur, showing what art and culture can do to stimulate the economy in Morocco.

Interview Amina Mourid

Looking back at the 'EUMED means business'

event 21-22 May

’EU Med means Business' conference

is about to kick off in Brussels.

Sima Najjar

is a young entrepreneur, explaining the business needs of Jordanian designers. She will attend the EU Med means Business conference on 21 and 22 May.

Yahya Bouhlel

is a Tunisian CEO, highlighting the importance of bridging the digital skills of young people with the needs of businesses around the world.

Amina Mourid

is a cultural entrepreneur, showing what art and culture can do to stimulate the economy in Morocco.

Background

Shaping the future of entrepreneurship

Enabling entrepreneurs, start-ups and small and medium entreprises is crucial to economic growth, innovation and tackling high rates of youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa region. How can national governments, civil society organisations and the European Union and its Member States collaborate on improving the framework for entrepreneurship?
Read more

Johannes Hahn

Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
Read more

Participants

Chairwoman

Amel Saidane

is an entrepreneur, ecosystem builder and digital transformation expert. She is president of Tunisian Startups, the association giving a voice to Tunisian startups. She is the co-founder of BetaCube a venture builder in Fintech. She is an innovation and digital transformation activist acting for instance as a board member for the Digital Center of Excellence of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Chairman

Ayad Al-Ani

is a professor extraordinary at the School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is an associated member of the Einstein Center Digital Future, Berlin and board member of the German-Arab Association. He was rector of the ESCP Europe Business School, Berlin and Executive Partner for Accenture.

Chairwoman

Alissa Amico

is the Managing Director of GOVERN, an Economic and Corporate Governance Center . Before founding GOVERN, Alissa was responsible for overseeing the OECD’s work on financial markets and corporate governance in emerging markets, notably in the Middle East and North Africa. Over the past 15 years, Alissa has provided expertise to a number of governments in the Middle East, Africa and Europe in the design of regulatory initiatives and institution building.

Moderator

Sumi Somaskanda

is a news anchor, writer, and editor in Berlin. Sumi has spent the last 10 years covering German politics, society, immigration, and business, in addition to broader European stories. She serves as a senior news anchor at DW News and is a regular contributor to international media outlets. Including Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, and the Berlin Policy Journal. She is a member of the BMW Responsible Leaders Network and a former Robert Bosch Foundation fellow. 

Moderator

Brian Maguire

is a Brussels-based journalist, producer and broadcaster. Brian specialises in European politics and business. He hosts live radio and television debates with European Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and independent experts. A Euronews contributor, he also presents the EURACTIV series ‘The Presidency’ and ‘Over A Coffee’.

Agenda

09:00 am
Registration & welcome coffee

(optional

10:00 am
Opening session

moderated by Michael Köhler, Director for the Neighborhood South, DG NEAR, European Commission

  • Opening trailer on the EU and entrepreneurship in the Neighbourhood South
  • Keynote speech by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
  • Introduction to the conference themes by a young entrepreneur
10:45 am
Town hall debate - Bringing down barriers to investment and SME growth

includes exchanges with parallel local workshops in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco via web streaming

01:00 pm
Lunch

(optional)

02:00 pm
Workshops

Discuss and develop recommendations in three parallel workshops:

  • Investment and job creation - how to make it work
  • Unleashing the entrepreneurial potential
  • How to grow and retain talent  - making young entrepreneurs fit for purpose
03:30 pm
Networking and coffee break

(optional)

04:00 pm
Workshops continue
05:30 pm
End of day one
09:00 pm
Dinner and breaking the fast

(Palace Ballroom I & II, Crown Plaza Le Palace Hotel, Rue Gineste 3, 1210 Brussels)

10:30 am
Welcome coffee

(optional)

11:00 am
Presentation and voting of recommendations opened by Christian Danielsson, Director-General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
12:30 am
Closing session - handover of recommendations and closing statement by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations

In the presence of Nasser Kamel, Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean and Christian Danielsson

01:00 pm
Family photo