Promotion of International Commercial Arbitration and Other Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques in Ten Southern Mediterranean Countries

As the strategic economic partner of the Southern Mediterranean (MEDA) region, the European Union (EU) seeks to promote effective mechanisms of development through increased industrial cooperation in order to create a Euro-Mediterranean area of shared prosperity. The first Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministries of Industry, held in June of 1996 in Brussels, listed among its priority objectives 1) the formation of a fair judicial and administrative framework for investment; and 2) the establishment and support of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the development of regional networks. However, recent reports on world trade and investment describe the MEDA region as an area with low attractiveness for international investment.