.:: Eumedis :: Press release ::.

A public consultation on whether and how to create a European Institute of Technology (EIT) has been opened by the European Commission on 16 of September. It will gather the views of stakeholders on how an ‘EIT’ could strengthen research, education and market innovation in Europe. The public consultation will run until mid-November, and will feed into a wider analysis by the European Commission services.

Technological advances and the application of high-level scientific research are crucial drivers of economic growth and employment prospects. However, despite Europe’s many successes in research and education, recent evidence indicates a difficulty in translating these achievements into competitive advantages for European enterprises. Europe, with few exceptions, is falling behind when it comes to the creation, dissemination and application of “new knowledge”. As an example, the global share of patents awarded to EU companies, as well as the proportion of European Nobel Prize winners, has declined in recent years. Competitors in North America and Asia are frequently more successful in forging innovative partnerships between industry leaders and research community attracting top international researchers to pursue both fundamental and applied research.

Such an EIT should draw on the considerable strengths of existing European institutions.

The public consultation will focus on ‘first order’ issues: the EIT’s key missions, objectives, added-value and possible structure. An online questionnaire, available on the ‘Europa’ website, asks for views on how the EIT could best organise its activities in order to support innovation and the transfer of knowledge throughout the EU.

Once the public consultation is concluded, the Commission will consider whether it wishes to take the matter further, and may then prepare a paper for the Spring European Council in March 2006. If the idea of the establishment of an EIT were to be approved by the European Council, the Commission would make a formal legislative proposal to the Council and the European Parliament.

Since the beginning of the ODISEAME (Open distance Inter-university synergies between Europe Africa and Middle East) training experiences in February 2005, about 2350 applications of students from all over the world have been received showing their interest in the on-line courses offered in ODISEAME.

There are 28 offered courses comprising different disciplines as telecommunications, physics or veterinary medicine. Eight of them have already finished, 14 are in progress and 6 are about to start. The applications for these courses can be submitted via web form, by e-mail or by telephone.

Some of the courses are given only in English (14 courses), some are given in the partner’s mother tongue (4 courses), and some are given both in English and the partner’s mother tongue (10 courses).

Taking into account the data of the courses which have already finished, 30% of the students are Spanish, 18% are Palestinian, and 15% are Cypriot. The rest of students come from Latin-American, European and MEDA countries.

These data show that there is a great interest in tele-learning all around the world. Thanks to tele-learning there are no borders in education and it makes possible enriching intercultural experiences.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and the Delegation of the European Commission in Egypt has launched on 28 September 2005 the second phase of the New Approaches to Telecommunication Policy Programme, which is funded by the European Commission at a total budget of €4 million (EGP 28 million). The inauguration session of this one-day event will be held at the Nile Hilton Hotel at 9:00 a.m. and will bring together representatives from the telecommunication authorities of 10 MEDA countries, namely: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. The meeting will focus on developing regional co-operation between the regulatory authorities of the 10 countries, as well as with the EU.

The second phase of the New Approaches to Telecommunication Policy Programme aims to provide practical advice to regulatory authorities in the 10 MEDA countries in order to assist regulatory authorities with telecommunications regulatory reform, based on the key principles of the EU regulatory framework for telecommunications. The Programme will further enhance co-operation within the Mediterranean region as well as with EU Member States telecommunications authorities. The Programme will be implemented over a three-year period.

To prepare for the Programme, a team of experts visited the Mediterranean region in April 2005 to analyse the current development of the markets and regulatory frameworks in each one of the 10 participating countries. This analysis has now been completed and is the basis for the work programme of the New Approaches to Telecommunication Policy Programme.

For more information, contact the EU Delegation in Egypt:
Press and Information Officer
Delegation of the European Commission in Egypt
Tel: +20 749 46 80
germaine.demian@cec.eu.int

On 28 September 2005, the EIB acquired a stake in the tourism investment fund recently set up in Morocco by Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion and Club Méditerranée. The fund is closely linked to "Vision 2010", Morocco’s tourism development plan launched in January 2001 by His Majesty Mohamed VI. Under the new agreement, the European Investment Bank will take a EUR 5 million equity participation in SIM (Société Immobilière de la Mer) via its Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP).

The project contributes to realising FEMIP’s objectives for the implementation of risk capital operations in the MEDA region. In practical terms, this will involve financing the private sector through equity or quasi-equity investment, particularly in joint ventures between EU and MEDA country companies.

The investment fund serves as a powerful instrument of growth for Club Mediterrannée in Morocco, and is also designed to encourage the launch of investment project in new resorts. Following this operation, SIM’s ownership will break down as follows: Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (57.17%), Club Méditerranée (24.28%), European Investment Bank (12.70%), Société Hôtelière El Riad (5.85%).

For more information:
Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion
Nada Lalami (Press Contact)
+ 212 37 66 93 80
www.eib.org

The European Training Foundation has launched a new regional MEDA project, which aims to increase employment by improving the quality of education and training. Funded by the European Commission, the “Education and Training for Employment (ETE)” project is a new EU initiative and hopes to improve economic and social wellbeing in ten Mediterranean region countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and West Bank & Gaza Strip) between 2005 - 2008.

The ETE regional project offers support for young unemployed people and includes an e-learning programme, which promotes regional co-operation. In response to increasing demands for new types of qualifications in education and training, the ETE project has created a regional train-the-trainer programme on e-learning concepts, methods and techniques of particular relevance for Mediterranean countries.

PRESS RELEASE

EMISPHER and its initiative for the Virtual Euro-Mediterranean Hospital VEMH presented at the eHealth High Level Conference 2006
[Brussels | 29th May 2006]
This year’s European High Level eHealth Conference and Exhibition had its mission on “eHealth and Health Policies: Synergies for better Health in a Europe of Regions” and took place from May 10-12 in Málaga (Spain). This event, organised by the Andalusian and Spanish ministries of health together with the European Commission and under the umbrella of the Austrian EU-Presidency, brought together over 900 European and international experts, representatives from industry and authorities in the field of health, innovation and information technologies, among them 7 Ministers, 8 Secretaries of State or Vice-/Deputy-Ministers and high-ranking official delegates representing 30 European countries.

PRESS RELEASE

EUROMED PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY CALLS ON EU TO HELP MODERNISE PARTNER COUNTRIES
[Brussels | 15th March 2006]
The Economic Committee of the Euromed Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) has called on the EU to step up its efforts to ensure that the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective provides enough funding to help modernise its Mediterranean partner countries.

PRESS RELEASE

TOURISM SECTOR MAKES CAIRO VISIT
[Brussels | 21st February 2006]
The “city of a thousand minarets” played host to a four day EUMEDIS Tourism Sectoral Meeting late last month. The four sectoral projects (STRABON, MEDINA, DAEDALUS and NETWORKED JOURNEYS) made presentations of their activities, methodologies utilised, together with the innovations to be used in future marketing strategies.

PRESS RELEASE

TOURISM AND CULTURAL HERITAGE SECTORAL MEETING - Cairo 23-24 January 2006
[Brussels | 18th January 2006]
First of the EUMEDIS Sectorial meetings organised in Cairo, the Tourism and Cultural Heritage meeting will gather for two days the four Pilot projects (Daedalus, Medina, Networked journeys and Strabon), but also EU officials, Egyptian authorities, experts in the field, and obviously members of the EUMEDIS team.

PRESS RELEASE

SMEs AND E-COMMERCE SECTORIAL MEETING - Cairo 6-7 February 2006
[Brussels | 18th January 2006]
SMEs and e-commerce will be the theme of the second EUMEDIS Sectorial meeting with seven Pilot Projects participating to share best practices and exchange views on future developments.

PRESS RELEASE

EMISPHER’S VIRTUAL EURO-MEDITERRANEAN HOSPITAL WINS FIRST PRIZE IN ’BEST PRACTICE PROJECTS’ CONTEST
[Brussels | 8th December 2005]
During the ATVN-EU-GP Conference, 1-3 December 2005 in Pułtusk near Warsaw (Poland) the EMISPHER Project (EUMEDIS 110) was awarded the first prize in the "e-health" category of the “Good Practice Projects” contest, funded by the European Commission and called “The Best 2005”.

PRESS RELEASE

WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION SOCIETY HOSTS TWO SYMPOSIA ON VIRTUAL EURO-MEDITERRANEAN HOSPITAL
[Brussels | 8th December 2005]
The World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), held in Tunis from November 16-18, 2005 dedicated two official symposia to the development and implementation of the Virtual Euro-Mediterranean Hospital (VEMH). Both symposia contributed to the next steps in the successful realisation and implementation of the VEMH as tool for improved global healthcare.

PRESS RELEASE

EUMEDIS REFLECTS ON TUNIS SUMMIT
[Brussels | 2nd December 2005]
With the aim of improving the visibility of EUMEDIS, the EUMEDIS MDP team participated actively in the Tunis Summit, visiting project stands and attending various meetings and round-tables. Over 600 copies of the Special Edition of the EUMEDIS Bulletin were distributed and the team had the opportunity to talk to the European Commissioner for Information Society, Viviane Reding.

PRESS RELEASE

EUMEDIS Participates in World Summit on Information Society, Tunis, 16-18 November 2005
[Brussels | 2nd November 2005]
By supporting a number of valuable projects, EUMEDIS is contributing to the development of an all-inclusive development-oriented Information Society. Three projects will be represented in Tunis and will provide information about their activities at a stand in the ICT 4 all Exhibition.

PRESS RELEASE

BENITA FERRERO-WALDNER VISITS JORDAN
[Brussels | 21st October 2005]
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, will visit Jordan on 19 and 20 October where she will strengthen co-operation between the EU and Jordan through the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and reaffirm the Commission’s support for Jordan’s own reform agenda.

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