News

Mediterranean Solar Plan presented at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development summit

23-05-2012

The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, held discussions with Senior Executives from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on ways to develop synergies between the two organisations and further involve the Bank in UfM projects, at the margins of the Annual summit of the EBRD held in London from 18 to 19 May 2012.
 
The EBRD, which is owned by 63 countries, has started working with Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt, and approved at its Annual Summit a €1 billion fund as part of a total €7.5 billion of planned investments in the South Mediterranean region, according to a UfM press release.
 
Upon the invitation of the EBRD, the UfM Secretary General also participated in a panel debate entitled 'Towards a Secure and Sustainable Energy Future', where he presented to an audience of business leaders and delegates of the Bank the main features of the Mediterranean Solar Plan’s Master Plan to be consolidated by the end of 2012.
 
Referring to UfM projects, the Secretary General highlighted that: “Our philosophy is that good projects make good politics. Let’s start with a bottom-up approach and let the concrete effects of our achievements spill over at a higher scale.” In this regard, the Secretary General reaffirmed his conviction of the MSP's ability to generate jobs and industrial capacity, stressing that, “In spite of the many government and/or private sector driven strategies in the region, we need a global framework in which these strategies will be developed and implemented in an harmonized way guaranteeing its overall efficiency. This is the objective of the Master Plan we are preparing with our partners.”
 
The UfM Secretary General also held bilateral meetings and contacts at the highest level with representatives of multilateral and bilateral financial institutions and development agencies such as the World Bank, International Financial Corporation, Islamic Development Bank Group, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Japan International Cooperation Agency and KfW. Discussions included collaboration with the International Financial Institutions’ Platform of the financial pillar of the G8 Deauville Partnership, particularly in the fields of private sector development, support to MSMEs and job creation. (EU Neighbourhood Info)
 
Read more
 
UfM press release
 
EBRD press release
 
Union for the Mediterranean – Energy
  
UfM Secretariat website
 
Paving the way for the Mediterranean Solar Plan – fiche and news
 
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre - The Mediterranean Solar Plan press pack
 
EU Neighbourhood Info feature – Tracking the sun
 
EU Neighbourhood Info – Energy portal
 
 
 


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