A word from La Verticale : 10 years of IPEMED's reflection

by Eric Diamantis, president of the endowment fund of La Verticale

by Jean-Louis Guigou, founder of La Verticale

 

The future of the Mediterranean lies in the South

 

The end of a Euro-Mediterranean cycle

 The announcement in 2015 of the revision of the EU neighbourhood policy seemed to end a cycle initiated in 1995 by the Barcelona process. Including more and more Eastern neighbours via the ENP, the European Union marginalised the Mediterranean region.

 Nevertheless, in the current unstable situation, thinking and building the Euro-Mediterranean region is crucial. This is what IPEMED, a foresight institute, kept doing over the last decade. Mediterranean countries undoubtedly have interests in common, but they also share challenges exceeding the national framework. It is the case of migration flows, ecological and climate constraints, youth unemployment and terrorist threats. The notions of proximity and complementarity also lie at the heart of this region and increasingly define the economic relations among businesses.

 However, this space is no longer sufficient to face globalisation and lead development policies. Several reasons can explain this situation:

• Economic forces are at work. As mobility and exchanges of goods, capitals and information are going to grow significantly in the EMA region (Europe-Mediterranean-Africa), major international companies are increasingly adopting an operational territorial division of this region;
• Political actors are also involved in large-scale cooperations and understand the importance of partnerships and cooperations with close neighbours and neighbours’ neighbours.

 This transformation in the behaviour of public and private actors follows a heavy trend: the regionalisation of the global economy.

 

Regionalisation of globalisation

 Globalisation compelled companies to broaden their field of action and favour all-out free-trade agreements. After thirty years following this trend, globalisation is increasingly replaced by regionalisation, another process of economic internationalisation favouring proximity and complementarity.

 This is why coproduction makes sense, with the deployment of value chains and the sharing of added value. Indeed, great regions such as ASEAN and NAFTA ensure industrials investment security, norm standardisation and network interconnection. If the “crescent” Europe-Mediterranean-Africa wants to carry weight in globalisation, it must start building its own great global region.

 It is now time for a shared, sustainable and inclusive growth between an ageing Europe and a dynamic African continent.

 

From a marginal position to a central position of the Mediterranean

 Today, one must build on the Mediterranean region in order to mobilise a larger regional space and head South.

 Instead of thinking in terms of horizontality, neighbourhood or periphery, IPEMED chose the vertical integration logic, via the construction of a great region Africa-Mediterranean-Europe. These three political and economic areas feature substantial proximity and complementarity, with the Mediterranean as their point of gravity.

 The project of international foundation La Verticale Africa-Mediterranean-Europe (AME) was initiated in this context. Both shores of the Mediterranean share this concept. It is based on the works of ECLAC and ERIA, two organisations respectively linked to NAFTA and ASEAN. In this regard, it intends to implement a network of laboratories with a common programme and chart.

 The project of La Verticale is ready. It is now time to implement it. After collecting political support (with the Arab League, the African Union and the European Union), the following step is institutional.

 It is now time for Europeans to shift from conquest to sharing and for Africans to take action. Together, with their Mediterranean partners, they are ready to build this great region.

 

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