The President of EMEA, Prof. Rym Ayadi, was one of the speakers of the Mediterranean Creative Economy Forum which took place on 17 November as part of the MedaWeek Barcelona Conference 2021.
The Forum started with keynote speeches by Víctor Francos Díaz, General Secretary Ministry of Culture and Sports, Spanish government, Jens Nymand Christensen, former Deputy Director General, European Commission, and Miquel Rutllant, President, Clúster Audiovisual de Catalunya.
At her intervention Prof. Ayadi explained the importance of promoting culture from a policy point of view. She highlighter that we have to support youth & women entrepreneurs in the culture and audiovisual sector, by boosting the creation of hubs and sustainable development.
The COVID-19 outbreak and the containment measures have led to the closure of cinema theatres, the standstill of productions and the cancellation of festivals and markets. The audiovisual sector is key for the promotion of cultural diversity at local and international levels.
The Forum aimed to support the sector, engaging all stakeholders in a new successful strategy that brings together the main Euro-Mediterranean radio and television stations, audiovisual and cultural operators, and institutional representatives of the region.
The MedaWeek Barcelona (Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders) is an iconic conference dedicated to promoting the Mediterranean region worldwide. It is jointly organized by the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and the Industry (ASCAME) and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation, with the collaboration of prominent Euro-Mediterranean organizations.
It should be noted that EMEA leads CREACT4MED (CReative Entrepreneurs ACTing FOR the future MEDiterranean), an EU Project funded by the EuropeAid Programme which is focused on strengthening CCI businesses and job creation, giving support to entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs in particular, and targeting young people and women in the Southern Neighbourhood of the European Union.