MED BUSINESS DAYS 2021 : The economic recovery in the Mediterranean at the heart of the objectives of BUSINESSMED

This Forum, which brought together Euro-Mediterranean economic operators between support organizations and SMEs has focused on their respective roles in stimulating the recovery of the economy in the Mediterranean region.

The event took the form of 4 panels of experts around the current themes of renewable energy, smart cities, digital transformation and ways to bridge the skills mismatch in the labor market. These expert panels were followed by B2B meetings with the participating companies.

The different sessions gave an overview of the Mediterranean markets and their specificities by highlighting the expertise and attractiveness of the region in terms of investments and sustainable partnerships.

Renewable energy experts addressed the means and challenges to ensure a leading position in climate-friendly industries, taking into account that the quality of life of future generations is strongly linked to the sustainability of the energy infrastructure.

Speakers on Digital Transformation explained how the Mediterranean region has embarked on digitalization strategies ranging from governance to business to value chains to adapt to the economic and pandemic realities that still persist today.

Discussions in the Skills Mismatch session highlighted the importance of building partnerships between vocational education and training centers, governments, and private sector representatives to identify curricula to address current skills gaps and prevent the emergence of future gaps. This was the occasion to present the study conducted by BUSINESSMED expert in the framework of the employer’s thematic committee around VET and skills mismatch.

The first day was closed by the exchanges around smart cities and the experts looked at how to exploit technologies as key tools and means rather than ends for the digital transformation of our Mediterranean cities, emphasizing the need to build public-private partnerships and involve citizens in decision-making.

The second day was dedicated to the organization of B2B meetings, offering startups, companies and investors the opportunity to exchange and develop partnerships to facilitate access to foreign markets.

The Med Business days 2021 are organized in the framework of the EBSOMED project, co-funded by the European Union.