Focus on the plenary sessions

Published : Thursday 18 September 2014

2.30-4.00 p.m > Session 1:

Coproduction to accelerate the economic transition of southern Mediterranean countries: what conditions and which jobs?



In the aftermath of the “Arab uprisings”, the Mediterranean is confronted with a paradox and a necessity. The high economic growth experienced by SEMCs during the 2000s has not created sufficient employment to absorb the massive arrival of young graduates on the labour market: according to World Bank figures, 19% of young people are unemployed in Morocco, 25% in Egypt and 42% in Tunisia. Yet this new generation widely contributed to the demands for political and economic change in Mediterranean countries in recent years. Governments of countries in the North, and the South and East Mediterranean, must speed up economic transition to give new momentum to their social and economic fabric. Coproduction, which brings value and production chains into play and is based on complementary demographic, technical, energy and financial factors between both sides, would help reinforce the region’s competitiveness in the face of the North American and Asian blocs. It would allow European countries to re-establish their industrial power while strengthening the fragile industrial fabric of southern countries. It would boost growth, and so create jobs. What are the conditions to ensure the success of this initiative? In which sectors? For which kinds of job?

Moderator : Taoufik MJAIED, Journalist,  France24

Introduction: Miguel Angel MORATINOS, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Chairman of IPEMED’s Political Sponsorship Committee

Speakers :
Flavia PALANZA, Director, FEMIP
Claudio CORTESE, Senior Deputy Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean
Jean - Claude GAYSSOT, Vice-Chairman, Regional Council of Languedoc – Roussillon
Jaloul AYED, former Finance Minister and Chairman, MedConfederation
Françoise DAL, Chairman of the International Relations Commission, Regional Council of Nord – Pas – de – Calais
Clara GRUITROOY, Executive Director,Euro – Mediterranean – Arab Association (EMA)
Jamel BELHAJ, Director, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Tunisia
Christian BADAUT, International Manager, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, France



4.30 – 6.00 p.m > Session 2:

Focus on companies’ experience: industrial strategies and funding


Coproduction is now a strategic axis shared by a great deal of companies, especially in the Europe-Mediterranean-Africa zone. Yet no comprehensive, scientific studies have been done on these industrial strategies, despite their value as a reference for economic decision-makers and public authorities. IPEMED is consequently publishing a report illustrating the coproduction experiences of 9 companies. The paper also makes recommendations to countries in the North and South Mediterranean, one of which is to create a coproduction observatory. With recent backing from the Banque Publique d’Investissement (BPI), this observatory’s vocation will be to bring together players in the North and South.
The debate will kick off with an inaugural presentation of this study and its recommendations. Next will come the experiences of entrepreneurs from different countries in the zone working in a range of sectors including aeronautics, digital business and agribusiness. They will set out the success of their coproduction strategies, as well as the difficulties and the obstacles that need to be overcome before political and legal spheres in each country will encourage this type of investment. The speakers will also discuss the issue of funding.


Moderator: Hichem BEN YAÏCHE, Publication Director, IC Publications

Introduction: Isabelle BEBEAR, Director of Development and International Affairs Department, BPI, and Michel GONNET, Chairman, Eudoxia and IPEMED expert


Speakers :
Jean-Jacques VAN DER SLIKKE, Director of international development, VP North Africa, Turkey and Middle East, Safran group

Kais SELLAMI, Vice – Chairman of the IT National Federation (UTICA) and Tunisian referent for the Franco – Tunisian Alliance for Numerical  
Yves DELAINE, Deputy CEO, Sofiprotéol and Chairman, Lesieur
Taieb BAYAHI, Chairman and CEO, TPS
Khater ABI HABIB, Chairman and CEO, Kafalat
Amin BEN AYED, CEO, Misfat group


6.30-7.30 p.m > Closing session:

A new Euro-Mediterranean economic partnership


Moderator : Taoufik MJAIED, Journalist, France24

Speakers :
Nidhal OUERFELLI, Minister to the Head of Government, Responsible for Coordinating and Monitoring Economic Affairs
Elisabeth GUIGOU, Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the French National Assembly;
Eneko LANDABURU, Former Ambassador
Joachim BITTERLICH, Former Ambassador
Neemat FREM, Vice-Chairman of IPEMED’s Supervisory Board and Chairman, Indevco 




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