BUSINESSMEN in the Euro-Mediterranean area want a lot more than they have been getting out of the partnership scheme between the two regions, Niveen Wahish reports Some 81 per cent of businesses in the EU and in the Mediterranean region believe that potential for trade and investment in the Mediterranean region is untapped. This is just one of the findings of a recent survey that summed up the opinions of around 40,000 businesses in the EU and southern Mediterranean region. And that was not the only issue the business community on both sides of the Mediterranean was unanimous on. The survey, carried out by the MedAlliance consortium, showed that businessmen of the region believe the Mediterranean is a highly appealing market with increasing potential for exports and job creation, but that it lacks important cornerstones for that potential to take off. Among those cornerstones is a visa policy allowing the free movement of business people. The survey also showed that businessmen lamented that the region suffers from insufficient regional business support programmes, and from complicated access to technical assistance instruments. Furthermore, they complained of a huge lack of awareness with regards the Euro-Mediterranean partnership as a whole as well as the available instruments. Some 96 per cent of survey respondents saw trade and investment being boosted through more matchmaking instruments, simpler finance tools and modernised ports and logistics. And they said the business support component of the European Neighbourhood Policy financial instrument (ENPi), both regional and bilateral, needs to be increased with programmes catering to the promotion of trade and investment, technical assistance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), human resource development, logistics and reduction of red tape in southern Mediterranean countries. Further, they demanded serious attention paid with regards to harmonisation of standards, banking, customs and trade regulations. The MedAlliance consortium that carried out the survey unites the chambers of commerce, federations of industry and investment agencies of the Euro- Mediterranean region. It carried out the survey in the framework of the "Invest in Med" project that aims to improve investment and business partnerships amongst European and South Mediterranean SMEs. MedAlliance is currently chaired by BusinessMed which is the Union of the Mediterranean Confederation of Enterprises. And BusinessMed is chaired by the Federation of Egyptian Industries.
