The role of the Mediterranean Universities in connection of the changes: Innovation and Cooperation

Post date: May 31, 2011 10:4:18 AM

Rome, Italy, 20 May. The meeting was organized following a call of Prof. Vincenzo Scotti President of Link the Campus and Italian Deputy Minister of foreign Affairs University with a full support of Prof. Joseph Mifsud President of EMUNI University. Participants stressed the need to concretizing Euro-Mediterranean cooperation at the University level focusing on the importance of creating a unified policy within the Universities. A policy that is ready to create and to build concrete actions and projects. Prof. Scotti pointed out the idea that the cooperation between the Universities is the only way to have solid relation as well as concrete and sustainable projects. The President Mifsud said: "... the time of speaking is over, the time of doing is waiting for us ..."

The vent was marked by the intervention of H.E Franco Fratini, Italian Minster of Foreign Affairs whom gave his full support to "fresh and energetic euro-Mediterranean initiative such as EMUNI" highlighting the difficulties that encompass the Euro-Mediterranean region encouraging EMUNI to continue its mission in favor of the higher education components in the Mediterranean. The Minister of Foreign Affairs then announced that Italy started new educative policies on different levels, and these policies are considered a priority in relation to big social, cultural and demographic changes. The Minister continued to say: "... a lot should be done for the valorization of the local actions and projects that are connected to bilateral relation, but we need to create a multilateral framework if we would like to share these actions with all the Mediterranean area. Only in this way, it is possible to give an added value to the curricula, to create collaboration of the study programmes, research and scientific collaboration. Our country, Italy, due to its geographical position can become an international point for the dialogue between the European research and the Mediterranean Countries, and Italy can also have the role to coordinate these common projects".

Academic, Higher education experts and EMUNI network representatives have all emphasized fundamental role of research and training to young people, the principal objectives of which are: to insure a jobs for the new generation, to guarantee a good quality of life for all and to promote new economical initiative and cooperation coming from the South of the Mediterranean area. The Elisabetta Belloni from MFA Italy said "Europe needs to start new policies and new actions that are related to the South. In particular Europe has to be ready to make good and integrated investments in the South of the Mediterranean, capital and human investments .... This is the only way to generate a new development for all the Mediterranean area..." Maurizio Melani (DG for Country Promotion) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy concerted on the idea that the cooperation between the Universities is an important platform to project the youth toward Europe and all over the World. The universities have on the one side the knowledge and on the other side the possibility to create positive and competitive meetings between different cultures and Countries.

Dr. Samir Riad, Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Egypt highlighted the importance of the circulation of knowledge, he continued to say that the knowledge and the best practices are the best guarantee for the realization of an efficient process of Euro-Mediterranean integration, not only at economic level.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research from Jordan Wajih M. Owais expressed the idea that the Universities are the only one that can promote the knowledge related to the social and cultural process. He continued to say that they are ready to create new and concrete relations with Europe but as well with the other Countries of the South of the Mediterranean.

The event that was described as "successful" concluded by social activity where participants agreed to repeat such meeting under the auspices of EMUNI in one of the Southern Mediterranean Countries.