UMCE ACTION PLAN ( 2005 - 2006)

MEDITERRANEAN UNION OF ENTREPRISES CONFEDERATIONS

UNION MEDITERRANEENNE DES CONFEDERATIONS D’ENTREPRISES

UMCE ACTION PLAN ( 2005 - 2006)

OBJECTIVES

Lobbying near institutions; Closer relation with members together with a real exchange of experiences; Consolidation of member network and gradual building up of a knowledge base Contribution in the efforts undertaken by member organisations and their respective governments in terms of partnership promotion.

UMCE projects Applications for co-operation Work meetings

ACTIONS Three categories

UMCE projects

1) Executive exchange between the federations (short missions)

2) UMCE Web Site

3) CES/UMCE projects (trade unions/employers)

4) Barcelona Process Impact Evaluation on the private sector, 10 later

5) GTZ / UMCE

6) Organisation of a business and technological crossroads (May 2005)

7) Request to be addressed to the European Commission:

Executive exchange between the federations (short missions)

Exchange of targeted experiences (services to enterprises, management problems, etc…) for structures or departments responsible for a branch or a sector within our federations. These short missions will help contribute to the creation of a relation network among the federation executives

UMCE Web Site

UMCE Web Site will be a crucial tool, enabling us to realise our objectives with lowest costs. We opted for a dynamic site that allows a sustainable exchange between UMCE members. Different from the simple shop window site, this site should constitute one of the essential working tools for UMCE future.

CES/UMCE projects (trade unions/employers)

A common project will be initiated between the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and UMCE, it consists in a common work on the role of women in economic life in MEDA area. The tender will be made public in the next few weeks. Ms OMARI, CGEM-Brussels was the initiator of this project.

Barcelona Process Impact Evaluation on the private sector, 10 later

UMCE will lead an evaluation of Barcelona Process Impact, ten years after its signature by MEDA countries ; in view of the Minister meeting in 2005 concerning Barcelona +10.

For this purpose, we launched a consultation near three consultants. We should mention that this evaluation to be financed by UMCE proper funds must be finalised before the Minister meeting (November 2005).

GTZ / UMCE

An agreement concerning the creation of an environmental maghreb enterprise network (EMEN) has recently been signed in Tunis.

EMEN objective is to gather Maghreb operators concerning environmental upgrading by helping them to better play their role in terms of environment.

Founding members are UTICA (Tunisia), CGEM (Morocco) and CACI (Algeria) with GTZ financial support.

GTZ approached us seeking to be our partner and hence develop this project at the Mediterranean level with BDI and EC support.

Organisation of a business and technological crossroads (May 2005)

According to us, it would be useful and necessary to organise, within the framework of UMCE missions and objectives, a meeting gathering businessmen from South and North Mediterranean.

Indeed, our countries reached a level of growth and development that deprives them of the right to financial aids and funds granted to South countries. Therefore, they are forgotten, most importantly by sleeping partners, as technology producers possible to be transferred to South countries. Hence, a North-Center-South partnership should be promoted.

Request to be addressed to the European Commission

To raise community funds for the management of UMCE Programme of Support to Professional Associations (PAAP) to increase regional economic integration process in MEDA region; a request under European Neighbourhood policy must be addressed to the General Management “External Relations”. This is to plan fund grants (MEDA III) by 2007.

Contacts made by UMCE in search of sleeping partners /Applications for co-operation.

African Bank for Development (BAD) Application for financial grant to organise a seminar for our members concerningthe instruments available for private sector at the Mediterranean level

European CommissionPresident CHAMI exchanged a correspondence with the European CommissionDelegation in Rabat and Ms Bonita Ferrero – Waldner, European Commissionmember responsible for neighbourhood policy, aiming to apply for a regional PAAP(Assistance Programme to Professional Organisations) funding.

Frederich Nauman Foundation (Germany)Application for co-operation sent to this Foundation in view of organising to ourmembers seminars on themes such as : How to develop trade with Germany, Occupational training system in Germany, Professional Associations in Germany etc…

Contacts made by UMCE in search of sleeping partners /Applications for co-operation.

AFD (France)Application for co-operation sent to the Agency in view of organising a meeting with the theme : How can MEDA countries access AFD funding ? or implementing an ocupational training system at the Mediterranean level

SMSI + INFODEV President CHAMI plans a participation from UMCE to the World Summit on Information Society (SMS) which is to be held in Tunis in November 2005.Our participation to this Summit could take the form of renting a stand for UMCE and it could serve as a launch to our Web site…In this context, and in preparation of this event, UMCE Secretariat sent sensitisation E-mails to INFODEV, which is the institution responsible for establishing investment policy in terms of ICT for organisations such as: WB, Canadian Agency for Development, AFD, etc … and which is responsible for the organisation of “ parallel events” to SMSI.

Contacts made by UMCE in search of sleeping partners /Applications for co-operation.

IFC / SFI (World Bank)An application for co-operation was sent to IFC in Cairo aiming to have the possibility to organise for our members a seminar on the possibilities of accessing IFC funds.Lately, We received a negative answer.

European Foundation for Training (EFT – Turin) The main mission of the European Foundation for Training is to support partner countries in developing education and occupational training, EFT action includes mainly the development of competences for social and economic development. An application for co-operation was sent but they would like to have more specific information concerning the actions to be undertaken by UMCE to develop Human Resources.In reply, EFT suggest to involve UMCE in some events with a regional character that they plan to organise in 2005.

Contacts made by UMCE in search of sleeping partners /Applications for co-operation.

International Trade Center (CNUCED/WTO)

Co-operation application addressed to ITC in Geneva aiming to implement efficient programmes of promotion and commercial exchange and develop exports in UMCE member countries. In reply, ITC is ready to elaborate a co-operation framework with UMCE, with the condition that some funds be available or easy to mobilise for the implementation of the activities deriving from this collaboration.(See correspondence)

Contacts made by UMCE in search of sleeping partners /Applications for co-operation.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP has implemented MAP (Action Plan for the Mediterranean in terms of Environment Protection for future generations), MAP gathers the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development (MCSD); hence, they suggest that we become member of this commission so as to undertake a project which would be as follows:- sensitisation, information and communication to UMCE member Organisations- strengthening capacities in terms of environment for sustainable development - participation in quality of UMCE to the decision-making process at the level of MCDS and other institutions relating to the project (initiator of the project: ALI (Lebanon)

Working meetings

UMCE Secretariat will have in the near future the following meetings:Mr Scaratti, head of UNIDO project (United Nations for the Development of the Private Sector) in TunisThe representative of Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Tunis

Miscellaneous:

Third UNICE Competitiveness day: “Competing for growth and jobs in a global market” (Brussels, October 20th 2005)VI EUROMED BUSINESS SUMMIT organised by CEOE (Valencia, November 10th 2005)World Summit on Information Society (Tunis, November 16-18 2005)Bilateral meeting Employers/Trade Unions, with the Summit of Economic and Social Councils (Amman, 20-21 November 2005) Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Prime Ministers (Barcelona, 27-28 November 2005)Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference (Hong Kong, December 13-18 2005)