The Diplomat
The member states of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) have launched two initiatives to promote the labor market in the Euro-Mediterranean region: the Hub for the Promotion of Employment, Trade and Investment, funded by Spain and Germany, and the regional Team Europe initiative on Employment through Trade and Investment, which is supported by the European Commission, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
The fifth Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labor, held May 17-18 in Marrakech, Morocco, focused on Employment and Employability of the most vulnerable, especially among youth and women. Under this theme, the Ministers of Labor of the Member States discussed the most pressing challenges of the labor market in the Euro-Mediterranean region, especially how to ensure an inclusive, green, digital and sustainable recovery for all, and in particular for the most vulnerable.
The ministers also reiterated their commitment to promoting an economy that works for people through employment and social policies and that respond to youth and gender-specific issues, the UfM reported. The ministers also highlighted the important role of economic empowerment of women, who are vectors of economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
With these objectives in mind, the ministers asked the experts of the UfM Regional Platform for Employment and Labor to present a roadmap for action 2022-2025 and to support its implementation, in line with the objectives of the Ministerial Declaration. The roadmap should, among other challenges, focus on young people who are not in employment, education or training; explore innovative options to make vocational education and training systems more relevant to the labor market and suitable for digital and green transitions; promote the transition to formal employment of so-called “informal workers,” especially women; support education, training and employment policies; and recognize the social economy, social entrepreneurship and social innovation as a resilient model for the creation of more decent jobs.
“Providing young people with the skills they need to support the green and digital transitions, boosting women’s participation in the economy, and helping workers in the informal economy to move into formal employment and benefit from adequate social protection are key,” said EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit. “Job creation, especially after the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market, represents a major challenge not only for Jordan, but also for all Southern Mediterranean countries,” said Jordanian Minister of Labor Nayef Stetieh. “It is not possible to talk about opportunities for the South and East Mediterranean without addressing the employment and skills deficit in the region and without consolidating our labor markets,” warned UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel.
Separately, during the Marrakech meeting, the EU launched the regional Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Jobs through Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighborhood, which will assist Southern countries in their efforts to boost job creation through trade, investment and inclusive entrepreneurship. The European Commission, Germany, France, Spain and Italy support the new regional TEI. In addition, the EU, the participating EU Member States, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will mobilize around EUR 2.8 billion to come up with innovative proposals for job creation in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean.
In addition, the event saw the presentation of the UfM’s Employment, Trade and Investment Hub, funded by Germany and Spain, which, with a budget of 11 million euros, will strengthen the organization’s work in improving and developing innovative approaches to regional cooperation in the fields of employment, trade and investment in the Mediterranean. It will also complement the objectives of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI).
