10046558-Short-Term Expert Pool for regional integration, employment, and digital transformation in the EU Southern Neighbourhood

The GIZ programme "UfM Hub for Jobs, Trade and Investment II", commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by the European Union, strengthens regional economic cooperation and policy dialogue across the Mediterranean, reinforcing the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) as the principal regional platform for cooperation between European and Southern Mediterranean partner countries. The programme contributes to the implementation of the EU Pact for the Mediterranean and supports the regional Team Europe Initiative (TEI) "Jobs through Trade & Investment in the Southern Neighbourhood", promoting structured exchange among governments, regional organisations, the private sector, financial institutions and other stakeholders. While the programme focuses on UfM Member States in North Africa and the Middle East, EU Member States and the Western Balkans are actively involved in peer learning and the exchange of best practices.

A further priority is strengthening the institutional capacities of the UfM Secretariat to enhance its role in facilitating regional cooperation. Within this framework, the programme also implements the regional Action "Digital Transformation in the Southern Neighbourhood" (DTSN), which covers the thematic areas Digital and Telecommunications Regulation, Cybersecurity (implemented by the GIZ Global Program "Partnerships for Cybersecurity"), and Digital Skills. DTSN supports countries in advancing regulatory approximation with EU best practice, strengthening national regulatory authorities (NRAs), institutionalising the Euro-Mediterranean Regulators Group (EMERG), improving national cybersecurity governance, and developing regional digital skills systems geared to the needs of MSMEs and business support organisations.