Ministers from the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) have stressed the need to step up cooperation on research and innovation. Meeeting in Malta on 4 May, Research Ministers highlighted the importance of research and innovation in addressing the root causes of migration and promoting jobs and growth in the Mediterranean.

The Ministerial Conference on “Strengthening Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation through Research and Innovation” was held in Valetta under the auspices of the Maltese Presidency of the European Union.

Ministers emphasised the key role that research and innovation play in developing and understanding the root causes of migration. They encouraged a region-wide coordinated approach to increase researchers’ and students’ mobility and establish common platforms for data collection and analysis, while making the best possible use of existing tools.

They also called for the identification of innovative solutions to create more opportunities for youth, and welcomed several emblematic regional initiatives, namely:

– The “Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean area – PRIMA” – a new integrated initiative pooling the know-how and financial resources of the EU and participating Member States in order to foster ground-breaking solutions for sustainable water provision and management and food production in the Mediterranean region.

– The “BLUEMED Initiative on research and innovation for blue jobs and growth in the Mediterranean”, offering a shared strategic framework for working towards a healthy, productive and resilient Mediterranean Sea, designed to tap the full potential of the marine and maritime sectors by structuring transnational cooperation to create new ‘blue’ jobs and promote social wellbeing, sustainable prosperity and the environmental status of the region.

The Ministerial Declaration adopted in Valetta builds on the many research and innovation commitments endorsed at recent UfM Ministerial Conferences including ones on Employment and Labour, Environment and Climate Change, Water and the Blue Economy.

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Press release

Ministerial Declaration

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