JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

In order to support the implementation of the themes highlighted in the new Agenda for the Mediterranean, the Commission proposes this “Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Southern neighbours” which includes a series of preliminary flagship investments and projects that could be financed under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), and will only require part of the allocation for the Southern Neighbourhood. The Plan’s objective is to support partners in their recovery efforts, contribute to increase competitiveness and support sustainable and inclusive growth. Flagship projects will help address challenges and opportunities at the national, local, multi-country and regional levels. The flagships should be developed in the context of Joint Programming or Team Europe Initiatives.

The Economic and Investment Plan is indicative and non-exhaustive. It may evolve depending on progress on policy and political issues and in relations with partner countries and is subject to the entry into force of the relevant legal bases under the next Multi-annual Financial Framework and without prejudging the outcome of the programming process. To this end, the EU will be ready to explore further regional, sub-regional or trilateral cooperation and joint initiatives between partner countries across the board, including in light of the recent normalisation of relations between Israel and a number of Arab countries.

Outreach to partner countries and all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector and financial institutions, will continue after the adoption of this Communication and will guide programming efforts at the bilateral and regional levels. Programming of EU cooperation should take place within the framework of the EU’s overall relations with the partner countries, and in line with subsequent Partnership Priorities.

Due diligence, environment and cost benefit assessments will be carried out to ensure that proposed projects contribute to the objectives set in the Joint Communication. Financing could also be contingent on governance efforts, in order to ensure initiatives’ sustainability and access for all.

The following headlines are covered:

·Human Development, good governance and the rule of law

·Strengthen resilience, build prosperity and seizing the digital transition

·Migration and Mobility

·Green transition: climate resilience, energy, environment

In the area of “Human Development, good governance and the rule of law”, the Commission foresees the following flagships:

FLAGSHIP 1 –Support to social sectors, education, skills and health The delivery of inclusive, efficient, and effective social services, notably in the fields of education, skills and health, contributes to economic and social development. In this regard, the EU will also support its partners through blending (investment grants) to reduce the burden on countries and guarantees to mitigate the risk for private investors. ·Multi-country – The Commission is looking into possibilities to set up an EU vaccine sharing mechanism with special attention given to the Neighbourhood. ·Multi-country – The EU will continue to invest in the renovation of primary, middle and high schools as well as in the upgrading of health facilities and systems and continue to provide technical and financial support to these sectors. ·Multi-country – The EU will give special attention to vocational education and training, as tool to support youth and to the needs for up- and reskilling of the working population in the context of the green and digital transitions in anticipation of emerging skills needs. ·Morocco – The EU will support the higher education reform with the aim to modernise higher education and improve its relevance for the job market.

FLAGSHIP 2 – Human rights, the rule of law, and modern, effective administrations, governance and accountability Well-functioning, fair, transparent and accountable civil and judicial administration contribute to increasing sustainability, reducing inequality and enhancing well-being for all people. ·Multi-country – The EU will continue to invest in effective, independent and accountable justice and prosecutorial systems in line with International and European Standards. ·Multi-country – The EU will support civil society organisations and their inclusive involvement in the reform process. This will include actions to develop the capacity of civil society organisations, build up the leadership skills of civil society and strengthen work with civil society to, inter alia, tackle disinformation and support the green and digital transition. ·Regional – The EU will support the development and implementation of public administration reform (PAR) initiatives that aim to boost predictability, transparency, and accountability of the legal framework and institutions. The EU will also support regional capacity building on economic governance and continue to strengthen the partners’ statistical capacities to produce reliable, comparable statistics and thus support economic development strategies. ·Lebanon – The EU will support, in the context of the “Reform, recovery and reconstruction framework” an innovative platform for civil society to shape and monitor the implementation of key reforms, to ensure better service delivery, to enhance political accountability and transparency.

In the area of “Strengthening resilience, building prosperity and seizing the digital transition”, the Commission foresees the following investment flagships:

FLAGSHIP 3 – Resilient economies The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to help partners strengthen their ability to withstand and recovery quickly from economic shocks. ·Morocco – The EU stands ready to contribute to Morocco’s economic recovery plan by co-financing investments funded under the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) set up by HM King Mohamed VI. The European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD +) will be mobilised, together with resources from other European Financial Institutions (EFIs) to contribute to operations financed under the SIF.