Migration in focus at annual conference of Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Economic Institutes

BRUSSELS, 16 Feb. - (ANA) - The annual conference of the EU-funded Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Economic Institutes (FEMISE) will take place in Casablanca at the end of April. The theme of this year’s conference will evolve around migration and the refugee crisis.

The FEMISE annual conference is a platform for members of the network, academics, policymakers and representatives of the EU to engage in a constructive dialogue about the future of the region and the role the EU can play in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

FEMISE described the migration and refugee issue as, “one of the most important (if not the most important) that the EU-Med region is facing in recent history”.

“While labour mobility is a phenomena that is addressed in terms of its social and economic challenges and benefits, the refugees crisis involves human rights and survival aspects that need to be addressed from a humanitarian point of view and which represent a challenge to the receiving countries,” FEMISE said in a press release, adding that policy makers needed to play a more substantial role based on a better understanding of root causes and effects.

“The FEMISE annual conference will help make a contribution to this understanding through a constructive dialogue between academics, experts, and policy makers with the objective of suggesting efficient tools and policies to deal with these pressing issues.”

The conference will take place on 28-30 April (dates to be confirmed). The agenda of the conference will be provided in the near future.

FEMISE is an EU-funded project, which aims to contribute to the reinforcement of dialogue on economic and financial issues in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean. More specifically, it seeks to improve understanding of the priority stakes in the economic and social spheres, and their repercussions on the Mediterranean partners in the framework of their implementation of EU Association Agreements and Action Plans. - (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 16 February 2017 - - -