AMMAN — The European Union reasserted its commitment to
strengthening its strategic ties with Jordan this week in an event hosted by
the
West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Institute, according to a recent statement.
اضافة اعلان
Involving think tanks and business community representatives,
academic institutions, and
EU officials, among others, the event explored “bilateral
dynamics of the New Agenda for the Mediterranean,” held an “inclusive debate
around the EU Joint Communication on the Renewed Partnership with the
Southern Neighborhood and its implementation in Jordan,” and
discussed communication issues.
This comes as part of the EuroMeSCo: Connecting the Dots project,
which is co-funded by the EU and the European Institute of the Mediterranean
(IEMed), according to the statement.
EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou underscored during
the event that the union’s partnership with the southern neighborhood allow
both to respond to challenges facing countries like Jordan, proposes real
solutions to “common regional problems,” and engenders an “inclusive green
growth” that supports COVID-19 recovery.
Hadjitheodosiou added that the main pillars of the joint communication
are “human development and good governance; resilience, prosperity, and digital
transition; peace and security; migration and mobility; and green transition,”
as per the EU Green Deal.
“The
EU intends to maintain the strong and broad partnership that it has entertained
with Jordan so far: contributing to creating growth and jobs, investing in …
human development and capital and sustaining good governance with the broad
objective of contributing to the prosperity and stability of the region,” said
the ambassador. “Among these three main priorities, we want today to shed more
light on two specific areas … : Green
growth and Social protection.”
Director of the program at the WANA Institute, Shereen Shaheen, stressed
that the EuroMeSCo, a network of 104 Euro-Mediterranean think tanks and
research institutes, is “implementing the Connecting the Dots project to
contribute to inclusive and evidence-based policymaking.”
The network aims to espouse recommendations on economic
development, migration, and security that are in line with the priorities of the
European Neighborhood Policy. According to Shaheen, the EU-Jordan partnership
is “essential to combat the impact of COVID-19.”
Following two presentations on Jordan’s water sector, Majd
Al-Naber, a team leader and senior researcher, said that “the urgency of water
resource management in Jordan has never been more needed,” as the sector is
bearing the brunt of climate change and Jordan’s increase in population. Naber
proposed the adoption of solutions that increase “water use efficiency,
decrease non-revenue water, and enhance both water and sanitation network
systems.”
Citing a EUROMED survey, senior researcher Kareem Sharabi
contended that trade represents the “chief
economic interest between Jordan and the EU.” Yet, according to Sharabi, due to
“water scarcity and reliance on energy imports constraining Jordan’s
manufacturing, authorities need to invest in specialized
sectors,” such as information and communications technology sector.
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