The employment ministers of the 27 European Union countries and 16 Mediterranean partner states will meet for the first time on 9-10 November in Marrakech to discuss employment issues.
According to Vladimir Spidla, the Member of the Commission responsible for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, "the European Union and its Mediterranean partners have a common objective, namely to provide their citizens with more and better jobs. The social dimension of our cooperation is essential in order to transform the Mediterranean into an area of peace, democracy, cooperation and prosperity."
The ministers are expected to highlight the prospects and challenges resulting from globalisation, climate change and technological development, as well as social and demographic changes.
The meeting will look at concrete proposals to promote job creation, labour market modernisation, and development of human resources.
The discussions will be based on the preparatory work undertaken at the employment workshop organised by the European Commission in Brussels in December 2007, which brought together government and social partner representatives from the European and Mediterranean countries, together with representatives of international organisations.