Mediterranean Initiative launched in Sicily

(AGI) – Messina, Oct. 3 – Italy’s customs agency has officially launched the “Iniziativa del Mediterraneo” (Mediterranean Initiative) in Taormina in Sicily whose objectives are cooperation and improvement of protecting markets and border control in the run-up to the creation of the European-Mediterranean free trade area. With italy in the lead, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Jordan and Lebanon have signed up.
The customs agency is to take action in three areas; the fight against drug trafficking, integrated border control through coordination with all services and agencies of the other nations and finally, customs simplification and easing trade restrictions in order to support exports and Italian investments. The project will hold workshops, seminars, information exchange and training. The free trade area will cover an area of 600 million consumers. Italy today has 21% of the trade between the European Union and the countries in the Mediterranean. In 2009 Italian exports towards those countries were worth EUR 22 billion, with trade worth about EUR 45 billion. These numbers confirm Italy as the number one trading partner with the nations on the south shore of the Mediterranean. To encourage Italian investment in other countries, the Italian Society for Companies Overseas (Societa’ italiana per le imprese all’Eetero, SIMEST) has launched 119 projects worth a total of EUR 3 billion. The E.U. is working on a project to support micro-businesses and small and medium-size businesses in the region. The main point of the Mediterranean Initiative, according to the assistant director of Italy’s customs agency, Walter De Santis, “is the creation of integrated data banks of networks able to identify trustworthy operators. It’s an ambitious program, but achievable,” said De Santis, “that can be the basis of long term development in an area with great potential for economic growth.” Along with De Santis in Taormina were Mehmet Guzel, Turkey’s assistant trade inister, Natalina Cea, director of the International Cooperation Office, Fabio Ballini, project manager for Custom Med, Vincenzo Donato, general director of the development department of the Economic Development Ministry and representatives of the seven countries involved in the initiative. (AGI) . .