The Union for the Mediterranean is promoting inclusive growth through maritime Transport

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has launched the “TransLogMED” project at the first Mediterranean Conference on Maritime Transport and Logistics, held on 8-9 May in Ismailia (Egypt), under the auspices of Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt with his Prime Minister Sherif Ismail. The Suez Canal Authority, the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) are in partnership with the initiative.

Around 30% of the world’s container traffic passes through the Mediterranean Sea, where intra-Mediterranean maritime trade flows account for nearly 25% of this global traffic volume. A better-integrated region is crucial to capitalise on this potential to enhance inclusive growth, job creation and prosperity.

The “TransLogMED” regional project is contributing to fostering regional integration and to a more efficient Euro-Mediterranean transport and logistics sector by promoting sustainable transport connectivity chains, door-to-door logistics, intermodal solutions as well as enhancing the competencies of ports, logistics operators and transport administrations through training and networking programmes.

“Promoting capacity-building projects in this field, such as TransLogMED, is a key driver to ensure inclusive growth, employment and smart mobility ” said Ihab Fahmy, UfM Deputy Secretary General.

Over a 5-year period, the project will promote sustainable door-to-door multimodal solutions by providing certified training and knowledge-transfer programmes to more than 1,000 professionals of the transport and logistics sector in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia.

The overall goal of TransLogMED is to contribute to the development of an efficient, interoperable and sustainable transport infrastructure network in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Some project activities have already begun in the ports of Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Tanger Med and Rades, and will soon be extended to the ports of Nador, Sfax, Mostaganem, Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said and Aqaba.

The conference kicked off as a regional forum bringing together over 300 participants including ministers, presidents of port authorities, heads of international organisations and financial institutions, as well as experts and private sector representatives from the Euro-Mediterranean region. Its aim is to highlight good practices and success stories fostering intermodality and connectivity in the region, as well as explore potential business opportunities for the private sector.

Ihab Fahmy, UfM Deputy Secretary-General stated: “Today more than ever, the Mediterranean context calls for mobilising all actors to collectively promote success stories and implement a positive agenda for the Euro-Mediterranean region, capitalising on its immense untapped human and economic potential, in order to effectively address the multi-faceted challenges of the region”.

He added: “The region has huge potential to achieve a greater degree of maritime trade integration between both shores, including through fostering intermodality towards more efficient and sustainable transport and logistics services. Trade and transport infrastructure improvements in our region could lead to a 3.6% growth in regional trade and a 6.5% growth in exports”.

The TransLogMED project is implemented by the European School of Intermodal Transport and was unanimously endorsed by the 43 UfM Member States in November 2017 as a priority project to promote sustainable transport connectivity in the region.

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