First Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research

Education and Research, Technological Development and Innovation are of great importance to all Euro-Mediterranean partners and merit the highest attention in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. This was confirmed by the Five-Year Work Programme agreed upon at the 2005 Barcelona Summit and emphasized by the conclusions of the 8th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs in Finland in November 2006.

The first Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research, was held in Cairo on Monday 18th June 2007. The conference was co-chaired by H.E. Dr. Hany Helal, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; H.E. Dr. Annette Schavan, German Minister of Education and Research, EU Presidency; and H.E. Dr. Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research. The conference was attended by representatives of the ministries of Higher Education and Research of the members of the Euromediterranean Partnership (27 EU Member States and 10 Mediterranean partner countries).

The conference aimed at examining ways and means of developing co-operation in the field of scientific research, upgrading the quality of higher education and vocational training in Mediterranean Partner Countries, as well as standards of University Education. The guidelines for future co-operation among all Euro-Mediterranean countries were published in a joint declaration entitled "Towards the Creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education and Research Area".