report #7 - eni cbc med 2014-2020: towards the mediterranean development

Mediterranean Report #7

July 2015

ENI CBC MED 2014-2020: Towards the Mediterranean Development

Lucia VASTA

MA in Languages, Economic and Legal Institutions of Asia

and the Mediterranean

(“Ca' Foscari”, University of Venice)

July 2015

Copyright© 2015 by Mediterranean Affairs

All right reserved except for brief quotations in a review. This Paper must not be reproduced in

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1 ENI CBC MED 2014-2020: Towards the Mediterranean Development

July 2015

ENI CBC MED 2014-2020: Towards the Mediterranean Development ........................... 2

The ENI MED Programme. An Introduction ......................................................................... 2

Strategy, overarching and thematic objectives of the ENI MED ............................................ 3

Budget, Beneficiaries and Cooperation Area ....................................................................... 6

Previous results obtained with the ENPI CBC 2007-2013 ...................................................... 8

Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 9

Websites .......................................................................................................................... 12

About the Author ............................................................................................................. 13

Summary


July 2015


Ms. Lucia Vasta

Cross Border Cooperation (CBC) is a strategic element of the European Union policy. It consists

on the building of economic and political relations among two or more European Union Countries

and its neighborhood by promoting mutual activities in order to enhance development and to reduce

living standard differences. Since 2004, the European Union launched CBC programmes in order to

create a business network among Europe and Foreign Countries and guaranteeing development in the

interested areas. The ENI CBC MED 2014–2020 will foster the Small and Medium enterprises

activities focusing in particular on tourism increasing, on education increasing, on research and

technological innovation development. It will also promote the social inclusion trying to eliminate the

social gaps in the Mediterranean societies and it will enhance the environment protection by reducing

the waste and by increasing the recycling practices.

The ENI MED Programme. An

Introduction

European Union has launched its first CBC challenge in 2004, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). During that period, many outcasts had been realized and the idea of democratisation had been supported. The following steps had been represented by the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument, ENPI CBC 2007 – 2013 involving 14 Countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Tunisia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Israel) that will act on political, economic and social aspects. On October 2014, the ENPI CBC programme had been replaced by a new one, the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI). It will run until 2020. The ENI programme aims to create “an area of shared prosperity and good neighbourliness between EU Member

States and their neighbours”1. It also aims to improve economic, political and social conditions of the partner Countries through the resources valorisation, by supporting democracy values and by the attempt of reduce the economic gaps among Countries. The ENI MED is a part of the ENI programme but it just centred on the Mediterranean Basin. The ENI MED strategy is planned considering a mix of factors that characterises the Mediterranean area, such as the social context, the environmental structure, the economic and the political situation. The cross-border cooperation acts in a multilevel way:

1 European Union, Mediterranean Sea basin

Programme 2014-2020, 18th March, 2015.

http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/sites/default/file

s/enicbcmed_jop_2014-

2020_strategy_final_draft_18_03_2015.pdf.

http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/sites/default/files/enicbcmed_jop_2014-2020_strategy_final_draft_18_03_2015.pdf



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considering the several programmes already running in the Mediterranean, the Joint Programming Committee (JOP) will ensure the coherence and the complementarity among the ENI MED with the other programs operating in the interested areas, while the Managing Authority (MA) will guarantee the coherence among the ENI programme development and the local, regional or national strategies applied in the participating Countries.

Strategy, overarching and thematic objectives of the ENI MED

The strategy will be defined during all the programme life, but it has fixed the main issues, the medium terms goals and overarching and thematic objectives. It also selected the acting procedures by analysing the cooperation area scenario, and it defined the priorities, the potential results and the indicator outputs. The analysis of the area highlight the socio – economic situation individuating its strengths, weaknesses, and the medium term needs(MTN); it shows the analysis of the area environment (management of water, energy waste, costal management); an important role is played by the stakeholders acting in

the participating Countries: they have to work respecting the principles of ownership and partnership.

The overarching objectives individuated by the programme are:

1. Economic promotion and social development

2. Environmental challenges

The four thematic ones explain these two main objectives:

1. Business and small and medium sizes enterprises (SME) development.

It consists on the creation of jobs opportunities, by the reduction of unemployment; by strengthen of competitiveness and productivity, by the promotion of the youth a women start-up enterprises and taking into account the Innovation and Globalisation challenges. Considering the high inoccupation of youth and women of the area, the programme aims to focus on the enhancing of new start - up enterprises. The program expects in particular the participation of youth and women as part of the innovative start-ups staff. This inclusion will generate a number of new job opportunities, new products and services both for the domestic market and for the foreign ones. The IPR 2 laws will guarantee and will protect the production. The young or women entrepreneurs will be supported by trainings and tutorship. Specific services will be provided and

2 Intellectual Property Right.

Source: T-Teconologico.com


July 2015

the R&D 3 will be increased. Specific advertising campaigns will support the IRP diffusion. The launching of new entrepreneurs, the participation of young people and women and the development of training activities will represent the outputs of this challenge. Another important aspect for the Business and SME development is represent by the expected Euro–Mediterranean enterprises alliance and its cooperation with the public authorities. This aspect could refer both the traditional sector and the non – traditional one and to several products and services. The enterprises alliance could generate the implementation of new investments flows and the Public Private Partnership (PPPs) birth. Thank to this alliance the internal and new joint products and brand will increase the foreign markets, it also will generate the knowledge shared among the participant Countries companies.

The SME development also concerns the tourism sector promotion. The new strategy planned aims to support the attractiveness of the less developed touristic places by focusing on specific services such as marketing campaigns and improving the accessibility of the less known destinations for example, through the promotion of cultural and historical sites. This aspect aims to enhance the diversification of tourism offer by the generation of new sustainable touristic products (wine and food tourism,

3 Research and Development.

adventure tourism, historical and cultural tourism, eco- tourism and so on). The new products will be created by several enterprises by trainings, ad hoc campaigns, and the diversification of products created to generate off-season demand.

2. Support to Education,

research, technological development and innovation.

This objective aims to analyse the participating Countries level of innovation development to guarantee its growth by promoting the benefits of research results and by the optimisation of the investment funds. Public and private actors to create the best conditions to promote new firms and universities in their R&D activities must support this aspect. This will act by the promotion of clean or environmental technologies through R&D. It will also focus on the increasing on the commercialisation of technological products and on the upgrading participation of SMEs on technological process, products and services. This aspect will increase the investments flows, and the birth of new products and services.

3. Promotion of social inclusion

and poverty fight.

Poverty is a diffused phenomenon that consists on the lack or scarcity of material and non-material resources. It is often cause of the negation of the social inclusion. The exclusion of people from a social system is a synonym of marginalisation. The socio - economic analysis highlight the high

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level of social inequity in the Mediterranean. As the role of society is crucial for the CBC cooperation programme success, this objective will is the increasing of employability of women and young people in particular those are considered NEETS 4 . They will be involved in the programme by ad hoc coaching and trainings from previous successful experiences, by marketing campaigns or specific initiatives to connect Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET). These attempts will guarantee the increasing of training activities and employment ones. Another important aspect the programme wants to care is the improving of the service quality by the organisation of specific events on particular social issues or guaranteeing services for the vulnerable population. The role of public administration and stakeholders will be strategic for the creation of social services, they will act by workshops, on line platforms, reports and analysis and cross border exchanges to better coordinate the social service activities. This objective aims to reduce the inequality conditions in the different societies of the Mediterranean Basin.

4 Young People NOT IN EMPLOYEMENT,

EDUCATION AND TRAINING.

4. Environmental protection,

climate change adaptation and mitigation.

This aspect focuses on the water availability and the limited resources in the Mediterranean Basin. It aims to manage precious resources avoiding its waste and planning new methods that respect the Ecosystem. It follows four priorities; the first one is the adoption of innovative method for the water use by specialised agencies, public authorities and stakeholders. This

innovative method will avoid the waist of water and will be more efficient in specific agricultures activities such as the irrigation. The improving of the agriculture methods will generate new research networks among the CBC actors; training, showcases, and exchanges will also

support it. The second priority concerns the research for low-cost technologies for the use of unconventional water resources for domestic needs. This priority will be supported by new technologies application, new initiatives and measures and by the volume of non-conventional water supply for domestic needs. The efficient management of the resources by the public authorities represents another important aspect by the adoption of ad hoc managing plans, by the recycling practices and reuse applications and

Source: Wikipedia.com


July 2015

new waste technologies adoption. These results will be reach by the organisation of specific events, exchange programs, cross border plans and by the promotion of the reduction of waste and of the recycling to the industries and to the citizens. The institutions will also act policies of sustainable energies in the public buildings by the adoption of more efficient energy plans. The public authorities will also provide to reduce the energy waste using renewable energies. The last priority is the application of methodologies for the sustainable management and the preservation of costal ecosystems. An important aspect that institutions have to consider is the adoption of ICZM5 plans to guarantee the sustainable managing of the coastal areas. The actors will create sharing platform to manage better the coasts, specific activities to preserve the marine ecosystem, they also will organize workshop and trainings addressed to different stakeholders.

5 Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

Budget,

Beneficiaries

and Cooperation

Area

The ENI CBC programme involves different actors both of the public sector and of the private one (i.e. institutions, civil society

organisations, trade and labour unions, NGO, agencies, public authorities).

The UE supports the whole program for 15.4 € billion but over 209 million will be destined to the ENI CBC MED for the period established (2014 – 2020).

The ENI programme addresses to 16 Countries including Eastern States (ENI East) and Southern ones (ENI South).

The eligibility of the cooperation areas depends on different factors, such as the past CBC experiences and on the compatibility of each Country areas conditions with the Call for proposals established by the programme. The eligibility could also depend on the major social or cultural centres concentration, on indicative allocations in the Mediterranean Basin and the possibility to include territorial units according to the article 8 par. 3 of the Regulation (EU) No 232/20146.

6 Article 8.3 of the ENI Regulation states: “In

duly justified cases, major social, economic or

(footnote continued)

Source: EU-Neighbours Info Center

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Considering the ENI CBC MED the Countries involved in the Programme are Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia. The program also included Syria but currently its participation is suspended because of its unsafe political situation. The following areas are eligible for the program:

- Algeria: Tlemcen, Ain Temouchent, Oran, Mostaganem, Chlef, Tipaza, Alger, Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzou, Bejaia, Jijel, Skika, Annaba, El Tarf;

- Cyprus: the whole country; - Egyp: Al Garbiyah, Al

Minufiyah, Marsa Matruh, Al-Iskandaryah, Al Buhayrah, Al Qalyubiyah, Kafr ash Shaykh, Ad Daqahliyah, Dumyat, Ash Sharquiyah, Al Isma’iliyah, Suez,Bur Sa’id;

- France: Corse, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi–Pyrénées, Provence, Rhone-Alpes, Auvergne, Côte d’Azur;

cultural centres in the Member States or in

other Cross-Border Cooperation participating

countries that are not adjoining to eligible

territorial units may be included on condition

that such participation contributes to the

objectives laid down in the programming

document. The conditions under which such

centres may participate in cooperation will be

laid down in the Joint Operational

Programmes”.

(http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/sites/default/fil

es/l_07720140315en00270043.pdf)

- Greece: Anatoliki Makedonia-hraki, Kentriki Makedonia, Thessalia, Ipeiros, Ionia Nisia, Dytiki Ellada, Sterea Ellada, Peloponnisos, Attiki, Voreio Aigaio, Notio Aigaio, Kriti;

- Israel: the whole of the country; - Italy: Basilicata, Calabria,

Campania, Lazio, Liguria, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Molise, Marche, Piemonte, Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Abruzzo;

- Jordan: Irbid, Al-Balga, Madaba, Al-Karak, Al-Tafilah, Al-Aqaba, Al- Mafraq, MA’AN, Amman, Ajlun, Jarash, Az Zarqa’;

- Lebanon: the whole of the country;

- Libya: Nuquat Al Kharms, Al Zawia, Al Aziziyah, Tarabulus, Tarunah, Al Khons, Zeleitin, Misurata, Sawfajin, Surt, Ajdabiya, Banghazi, Al Fatah, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Damah, Tubruq;

- Malta: the whole country; - Morocco: Oriental, Taza-Al

Hoceima-Taounate, Tanger-Tetouan;

- Palestine: the whole of the country;

- Portugal: Algarve, Alentejo; - Spain: Andalucia, Catalunia,

Comunidad Valenciana, Murcia, Islas Baleares, Ceuta, Melilla, Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha, Aragon;

- Syria: Latakiah, Tartus, Hama, Idlib, Homs;

- Tunisia: Madanin, Qabis, Safaqis, Al Mahdiyah, Al Munastir, Susah, Tataoune,


July 2015

Kebili, Sidi Bouzid, Kairouan, Zaghouan, Manouba, Le Kef, Silian, Gasfa, Nabul, Bin Arous, Tunis, Al Arianah, Banzart, Bajah, Juridubah;

- Turkey: Tekirdağ, Balıkesir, Izmir, Aydın, Antalya, Adana, Hatay.

The ENI programme will involve both the programmes that will work the whole partnership area and those that focused just on specific zones of the participant Countries. That is why some Countries will follow a multi-sectorial approach while others will work just on one field of intervention.

Previous results obtained with

the ENPI CBC 2007-2013

Considering the 4TO fixed for the new Mediterranean Basin Programme, we are going to analyse two experiences acted during the ENPI CBC 2007-2013.

The first example is represented by the “S&T MED” (Sustainability and Tourism in the Mediterranean) that is a project concerning the SME development and in particular the tourism industry. The project that run from January 2013 to December 2015, involved Italy, Jordan, Spain and Tunisia. The project focused on the lesser-known destination in the Mediterranean Basin to increase their level of tourism. The partners of the project were:

Region of Sardinia, Department of Tourism (Italy, Sardegna)

Municipality of Cabras, “Sinis Marine Park” (Italy, Sardegna)

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Italy, Campania)

Dante Alighieri University (Italy, Campania);

Municipality of Mahdia (Tunisia, Mahdia);

National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology (Tunisia, Tunis);

Aqaba Marine Park (Jordan, Al-Aqaba);

Balqa Applied University - IRCWEE (Jordan, Al-Balqa);

Municipality of Palma (Spain, Islas Baleares)

The project, that is still running, focused on the promotion of new touristic packages named “coastal itineraries”. The project supported the tour operators and the travel agencies and provided small amounts for info point. The projects also guaranteed specific trainings for tourism managers and for local citizens. The participation of four Mediterranean different

Source: Ministero dei Beni e delle attività

Culturali e del Turismo

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Countries allowed them to share their knowledge and to strength the concept of sustainable tourism. The result obtained:

- 5 agreements signed with tour operators and online travel agencies;

- 4 calls to award local entrepreneurs for their business ideas;

- 120 local tour operators and 400 citizens have been trained.

The ENPI contribution amounts to €4,412,688.

Another example of successful project is the “RUWOMED”. This project aims to promote the cooperative work among women in the Mediterranean by agricultural activities. It involved Lebanon, Palestine and Spain. The partners of the project are:

Asamblea de Cooperaciòn por la paz (ACCP), Spain

Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC), Palestine

Collective for Research, Training and Development – Action (CRTD.A), Lebanon.

In particular the areas involved in project are:

- The Gaza Strip where 30 individual women already engaged in bakery activities, mushrooms cultivations, caterings, and cous cous production;

- The West Bank, where 44 women divided in 9 groups have been employed in herbs

cultivations, apiculture, mushrooms cultivations;

- In Lebanon have been supported both women cooperatives such as Namileh in Beirut, Ain el –Wardeh – Jdita in the Central Beeqa Valley or Kawkaba Hasbaya in the South, and the Palestinian women organisations operating in the refugees camps throughout the Country, such as Safadi or Association Najdeh.

- During the project, the Spanish market and productions have been analysed. It was taken as example to create a multichannel business network. The results obtained:

- 30 Palestinian individual women supported and 44 women in the West Bank;

- 7 women travelled across Spain to analyse the way of working;

- 5 groups of women supported the Palestinian refugees camp in Lebanon through their activities.

The ENPI supported the project for 1,795,155€.

Conclusions

During the last years, the political situation in the Mediterranean has changed launching new challenges in the Arab States. After the Arabic Spring Revolutions, the concept of democracy spread throughout the Mediterranean generating new values. The new Cross Border Cooperation programme takes into account the importance of democracy values


July 2015

application, the respect of human rights and the principles of good governance. The Council of Europe (CoE) through the application of the “South Programme 2” supports these principles. This programme will act focusing the different needs of each Country. Another important aspect considered by the programme is the strengthening of immigration policies and the fight against criminal trafficking networks to strengthen the security in the whole area. The past experience, made up by the ENPI CBC 2007–2013 put emphasis on several aspect such as: the importance of a good coordination among ENI with the other European programs to avoid the possibility of double funding. The importance of focus on the priorities specified in the program to avoid the loss of funding, the coherence among the cross border projects, the benefits spread by sharing knowledge during the projects activities, and the importance of acting by a multilevel approach. The previous outcomes also highlight how the active participation of the civil society is

important for the project’s success. In particular, the ENI CBC MED will try to foster the young people and the women generating both job opportunities and social inclusion. The successful results of the past program have been characterized also by the authorities and institutions strong participation; in fact, its feedbacks highlight the high flows of funds allocation in Mediterranean Basin programmes. However, as the political conditions changed during the last years, the new program has to take into account risks such as the partners’ capability to work in synergy, their capacity to manage the projects, the national foster to determine adequate conditions for the local partners in the programme management, the beneficiaries’ capability to implement the project proposals. The risk level depends on the single areas interested but the intervention of the monitoring bodies could mitigate it.

This new Mediterranean Basin challenges aims reduce economic and social gaps among the Countries and to strengthen the new political forms

Source: Makexperience.com

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born after the Arab Spring by generating a strong intercultural dialogue that will ensure a multilevel cooperation among all the actors of the cooperation. Among the results expected, the program fixed the people – to – people cooperation to create an active dialogue among civil society and the other relevant groups of the cooperating areas. The last 23rd of June Italy and Tunisia, have inaugurated their transnational cooperation project “Ter-RE”. The project involves the province of Tataouine and in particular four villages, Ras el Oued, El Ferch, Douiret e Bir Amir, and addresses to young people and women. It aims to promote the growing and auto -determination processes by enhancing the little entrepreneurship. The issues the project intend to develop are the agriculture, the tourism and the private sector. Ter-Re, will also provide to guarantee professional trainings and the application of specific projects for the local entrepreneurs. The expected

results concern the promotion of the territory by the valorisation of the local resources, the improving of agricultural production techniques, the promotion of the sustainable development and the promotion of biodiversity. The partners of “Ter-Re” project are IRA (l'Institut des Régions Arides), the Tamat NGO, the Rada union, and the Italian–Tunisian Trade Chamber, the Alma Mater foundation, the Italian social cooperative “Attivarci”. This is just an example of the already running projects of the new Cross Border Cooperation ENI Med programme. Considering the successful past experience and the high participation level, both of the citizens and the institutions, the new CBC program represents a bigger challenge for all the Mediterranean Basin. It will create a strong network and will give a concrete value to the whole area according heritage, culture, society, economy and politics.


July 2015

Websites

http://www.acpp.com/ruwomed/

http://www.enpicbcmed.eu

http://www.ansamed.info

http://www.acpp.com/ruwomed/

http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/

http://www.ansamed.info/

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About the Author

Lucia Vasta, MA in Languages, Economic and Legal Institutions of Asia and the

Mediterranean at Università Ca' Foscari of Venice, with a dissertation entitled

“Bahrain insights: socio-political dynamics of a country in constant “revolution”.

During her studies she attended different courses to improve her knowledge of

the Arabic language: 1st level certificate for the study of the Arabic language at the

“Institut des Langues viventes” of Tunis (2007); certificate IAL CISL regarding the

reading skills, comprehension, and translation of the Arab newspaper (2008);

certificate IAL CISL regarding the Cinema and Mass Media in the Arab Culture and

Society (2008); 2nd level certificate for the study of the Arabic language at the

“Institut des langues viventes”, in Tunis (2009).

Ed. Mediterranean Affairs®

www.mediterraneanaffairs.com

Info: [email protected]

Cover image source: http://enpi-info.eu

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report #7 - eni cbc med 2014-2020: towards the mediterranean development

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