Lebanon and IPEMED - Towards a renewed partnership
Thanks to the active participation of four Lebanese founding members leaders in their industries (Byblos Bank, Kafalat, Matelec and LibanPost) and convinced of the central role of Lebanon in the creation of the future “La Verticale” foundation (Africa - Mediterranean - Europe), IPEMED organised, from 26th to 29th March 2017, a mission in Beirut in the presence of Jean-Louis GUIGOU, President of IPEMED, Miguel Angel Moratinos, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Political Steering Committee (PSC), Jean-Marie PAINTENDRE, International Advisor, Kelly ROBIN, Project Manager and Eric DIAMANTIS, Vice-President of IPEMED and President of the Foundation “La Verticale” Endowment Fund.
This mission was accompanied by meetings and key events:
- The interview with the President, Michel AOUN, and then with the Prime Minister, Saas HARIRI, on 27th March, enabled to ensure the support of the Lebanese government to the foundation “La Verticale” project and to strengthen the institutional bonds between IPEMED and Lebanon.
- A Euro-Mediterranean platform of dialogue between the political, economic and academic spheres, IPEMED also wished to reinforce its partnership with Lebanese economic actors and thus signed a partnership agreement with Fadi GEMAYEL, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (AIL). This reinforced cooperation aims to favour coproduction operations between French, European and Lebanese small and medium-size companies in the framework of the Coproduction Observatory, managed by IPEMED.
- This last partnership item highlights the strategic role played by the Lebanese diaspora, in Europe and in Africa. IPEMED confirmed its commitment to RDCL World, a newly created association chaired by Fouad ZMOKHOL. The agreement was signed on 28th March, during a lunch organised in the honour of M.A. Moratinos and in the presence of the network’s active members. It will enable to involve the Lebanese economic actors in the works initiated by IPEMED.
- Finally, IPEMED wished to organise, in partnership with ESA and the Spanish Embassy in Lebanon, a dialogue on the Mediterranean challenges, with a Lebanese perspective. Organised on 28th March and preceded by a meeting with the press, this conference-debate around M.A. MORATINOS and Jean-Louis GUIGOU gathered over 100 people and carried strong messages in favour of a rapprochement between Europe and Lebanon.
This extremely varied mission also enabled to renew the support of IPEMED to the works carried out in Lebanon in terms of water governance and the nexus water-energy-food, presented during the 6th Beirut Water Week, initiated by Fadi COMAIR, and to reinforce the bonds between the Institute and its Lebanese network.
