BUSINESSMED took part in the webinar "The Blue Transition Scenario 2050 for the Mediterranean: Towards a TRIS Development Model", organised online the 8th of July 2020 by the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association - EMEA and the Euro-Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies - EMNES, in cooperation with the Union for the Mediterranean and the GIZ.

The webinar brought together researchers, UfM experts, and representatives of regional initiatives & organisms in order to reflect and share views on key challenges that need to be tackled in the region in order to advance towards new models of social inclusion, job creation, sustainable development and regional integration.

During her intervention, Mrs Jihen Boutiba, General Secretary of BUSINESSMED, mentioned that in order to benefit from the digital switchover, the Mediterranean region has to move to a total digitalisation of the whole area whereas currently digitalisation only concerns certain areas and domains.

“In this perspective BUSINESSMED is developing within the framework of the EBSOMED project the Business Country Desk platform, the only regional platform providing digital services to SMEs through three main dimensions: partnerships, Business helpdesk and matching actions and tools.”

She added that these three functions will enable SMEs and investors to easily access potential markets, trade goods and services at the international level.

“…All these actions have no value if we do not imperatively implement concrete actions on the ground. This process can only be designed if based on concrete model of social policies that integrates the value of all stakeholders (employers, trade unions, civil society, universities) and thus makes everyone's voice heard, as was the case with the SOLiD project.”