2016 meeting of the Political Steering Committee: 10 years of action and opening towards La Verticale
The annual meeting of IPEMED PSC took place on 4 and 5 of February in the presence of Miguel Angel Moratinos, Aïcha Belarbi, Mehdi Jomaa, Denis MacShane, Elisabeth Guigou, Joachim Bitterlich, Panagiotis Roumeliotis, Amr El Shobaki, Fatahallah Oualalou, André Azoulay, Eneko Landaburu, Iqbal Gharbi and Jean Louis Guigou.
The PSC mostly reflected upon two topics:
- the assessment of IPEMED 10 years of action. The members of the PSC highlighted the numerous relevant propositions made by IPEMED over the last ten years. They encourage the Institute to make propositions even closer to regional current affairs in order to better reach the region’s political decision makers;
- the future of the region via an opening towards the South and the implementation of La Verticale. After a first conceptualisation phase, this project must now enter a much more operational phase. To do do, the PSC members wish to work closer to the European Commission as well as other influential think tanks working on Africa, in order to start bridging the existing knowledge gap on the region Africa-Mediterranean-Europe (AME). Finally, they are willing to implement a greater awareness-raising action towards African heads of States to promote this project.
In addition to the two half-days of exchanges, the Institute hosted at the Quai d’Orsay a dinner followed by a debate on the topic “Going South: why and how?”. 190 political, economic and research leading figures in Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean debated on the future of this region and on the necessity to implement an international Foundation to encourage greater integration.
Among them, one can cite Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister, and Matthias Fekl, Secretary of State in charge of foreign trade, who opened the debate, Radhi Meddeb, former President of IPEMED, Constant Nemalé, President of Africa 24, Xavier Beulin, Chairman of Avril Group and President of IPEMED Steering Committee, Vital Kamerhe, National President of the Union for the Congolese Nation , Tarak Cherif, President of CONECT, Roger Nkodo Dang, President of the Panafrican Parliament, Nathalie Delapalme, Executive Director of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Fouad Makhzoumi, CEO of Future Group, Mohamed Sahbi Basly, Tunisian Ambassador in China, Bahadir Kaleagasi, President of the Institut du Bosphore, Slim Ottmani, President of the think tank CARE, Gaston Kelman, writer.
One can also cite Bruno Bensasson, Director of ENGIE, Fadi COMAIR, General Director of Hydraulic and Electrical Resources of Lebanon, Gilles Dabezies, DGA of the region Paris Ile-de-France, Shermine Dajani, CEO of PanMed Energy, Khalil Daoud, President of Liban Post, Yves Delaine, DGA of Avril Group, Bernard Guetta, journalist at France Inter, Medhi Houas, President of TALAN, Christophe Jan, in charge of Orange international development, Jose Muñoz, Director of SUEZ, Elie Nkamgueu, President of Club efficience, Béatrice Roux, Director at Groupe La Poste, Denis Simonneau, member of ENGIE executive committee or Fouad Trad, General Director of Byblos Bank Europe.
Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Morocco’s Minister of Industry, and Zied Ladhari, Tunisia’s Minister of Employment and Professional Training, concluded these debates. Nasim Kerdjoudj, Net skills CEO, led the debates in which IPEMED PSC’s members took part actively.
