Publishing Institution: IEMed/EuroMeSCo

Author:: George Joffé
Publication Date:: 07-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: IEMed/EuroMeSCo
Abstract:: The election of a new national assembly in Libya is good news in several respects after a decidedly difficult transition from the elation that accompanied the collapse of the Gaddafi regime last October to the realities of reconstructing the Libyan state. Perphaps the first piece of good news is the simple fact that it actually took place and did so in a relatively peaceful atmosphere. Secondly, the electoral process has been judged by outside observers to have been free and fair. And, finally, the outcome seems to have been a victory for moderation, rather than an outright win for Libya's Islamist movements - unlike the situation elsewhere.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Islam, Politics, and Regime Change
Political Geography:: Arab Countries and North Africa

Author:: Adolfo Barajas and Seyed Reza Yousefi
Publication Date:: 09-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: IEMed/EuroMeSCo
Abstract:: Slow growth in the Mediterranean Associated Countries (MEDA) over the past three decades can be partly traced to underperformance by the financial sector. Several countries in the region lack financial depth, and the region as a whole has not fully benefited from the level of banking intermediation on offer, signaling a “quality gap.” Policy should therefore aim to enhance banking competition by removing entry barriers and improving credit information, reduce the role of state banks, further the process of financial reform, and provide a financial infrastructure conducive to bank and financial market development. Moreover, quality of intermediation appears to be related to access, and MEDA countries have also underachieved in terms of providing access to financial services to large segments of the population, in particular, to small and medium-sized enterprises. Efforts to widen access should also lead to improvements in quality and, ultimately, higher longrun growth.
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Mediterranean

Author:: Javier Albarracín and Paula Cusi
Publication Date:: 09-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: IEMed/EuroMeSCo
Abstract:: The IEMed held a conference on the 3rd and 4th July 2012 in Barcelona, under the title “Emerging New Economic Policy Makers in the Arab Mediterranean: Economic Agendas of Islamic Actors”. The aim of the conference was to engage Islamic economic actors, and get to know their economic proposals better. Members of the Islamic parties of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt attended, as well as bankers, businessmen and representatives of Islamic economic associations from the region. Experts were also invited from institutions such as the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Commission, the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Central Bank of Spain, and so on. The seminar was split into three parts. The first part analyzed at a national level the economic challenges and necessary reforms in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The other two sessions were dedicated to Islamic finance and banking, followed by an analysis of the economic cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region and among international Islamic actors.
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Spain

Author:: Nick Harris and Javier Albarracín
Publication Date:: 09-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: IEMed/EuroMeSCo
Abstract:: This paper results from a European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)/National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA) Conference held in Barcelona 23rd May 2011 on enhancing quality, promoting mobility and employability across the Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education Area. At a time when there is considerable change and uncertainty in almost all parts of the Euro-Med region, the conference discussions ranged across the nature and purposes of higher education, particularly in relation to employability and employment, and the benefits of and barriers to mobility for both students and academic staff. It also sought to identify the most effective ways in which the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) could contribute to further developments in higher education, bearing in mind the diversities and uncertainties that currently exist at social, political, and economic levels as well as in educations terms
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Mediterranean

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