EU-MIDDLE EAST DIGITAL PARTNERSHIP FORSTERS PEACE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION
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Alexandria — The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Tarek Kamel will open the EUMEDIS Final International Conference held at the prestigious venue of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt on 12-13 June 2006.
The main objectives of the conference are to present the final results and best practices of the EUR 64 million “EUro MEDiterranean Information Society” – EUMEDIS – Programme launched by the European Commission in 1999 in order to create prosperous working relations among countries in the Mediterranean Area.
The Conference will open a door for an inside look at the achievements of the 21 pilot projects carried out under the EUMEDIS programme, placing their results in the spotlight. The overall objective of the projects has been “…to contribute to the expansion and qualitative improvement of the Euro-Mediterranean Information Society in the pursuit of the overall economic development, quality of life and mutual comprehension…”.
At the Conference EUMEDIS stakeholders will have the opportunity to work closely together, to exchange experiences and to discuss the future prospects, as the projects are coming to a close. “It is essential that the efforts made through out the past 5 years be consolidated and continue to contribute to a lasting partnership across the Mediterranean”, says EUMEDIS Operations Manager Mr. Diego MELLADO, Head of Section, Operations II in the EC delegation in Egypt.
The projects have undoubtedly made a valuable contribution to Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. The absolute amount of people involved shows the relevance of the initiative: almost 400 partners" institutions from 24 countries connecting several hundreds of university professors, professionals and civil servants. Hundreds of university students in different countries started using the distance learning courses produced by the EUMEDIS projects, while a large number of local businesses are profiting from the ICT tools developed by the SME’s projects sectors.
Besides of strengthening the impact and the visibility of the projects, the Conference will launch a common reflection on the future for projects in the fields of Information Society in the Mediterranean region. A group of ICT experts and local and international policy makers, private enterprises and NGOs will be present to support and guide the conference activities.
The EUMEDIS programme is the largest initiative ever undertaken by the European Commission in the development of the global Information Society in order to foster a peaceful Mediterranean environment. 21 pilot projects were selected to act in five priority sectors: (i) Healthcare Networks; (ii) Electronic Commerce (iii) Tourism and Cultural Heritage; (iv) Industry, and SMEs; and (v) Education.