Green Forward: Advancing Policy Frameworks in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean region is strongly affected by climate change, with strong pressure on natural resources and biodiversity. Also, countries of the Southern Neighbourhood face socio-economic difficulties, such as unemployment, resource scarcity, energy dependence and increased environmental degradation.

The principles of Green and Circular Economies are struggling to become widespread in the region despite notable efforts for some countries. Implementation at the political, legislative and industrial levels is hampered by governance issues, regulatory gaps and limited private sector engagement.

As a result, this region of the world faces a double challenge: stimulating growth while ensuring a sustainable future.

The journey towards a green and circular economy is fraught with challenges, yet it also presents a myriad of opportunities for growth and innovation. The Southern Mediterranean region can play a leading role in the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy. 

The European Union, through the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), is launching the "Green and Circular Economy in the Southern Neighbourhood" programme to foster Green and Circular Economy (GCE) in the region. This initiative is assured to activate job creation, economic opportunities and a transformative shift towards sustainability.

This multi-faceted initiative aims to encourage a culture of environmental stewardship and economic resilience across the Southern Neighbourhood, focusing on macro, meso, and micro-level of interventions.

Within the Green Forward project, Expertise France has been entrusted to work on the macro level to support and enhance public policies as part of a global approach to GCE development. Collaborative actions will be set up to create synergies on a regional scale.

The Green Forward project aims to promote, develop, and strengthen public policies and legislation to inclusive GCE.

It is based on two main areas of operations:

1. Cultivating a shared vision of inclusive Green Circular Economy

• Facilitating dialogues and workshops to raise awareness about GCE opportunities.
• Fostering substantive exchanges between regional policymakers and EU counterparts to facilitate knowledge transfer.
• Sharing good practices to promote cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation.

2. Mainstreaming inclusive Green Circular Economy principles

• Developing a roadmap to establish inclusive GCE principles into national policy and regulatory frameworks of Southern Neighbourhood countries.
• Providing targeted support to enhance public policy frameworks based on identified priorities.

Public policies are the foundation to tip the scales in favour of GCE’s development. In harmony with the European Green Deal's principles, the project envisions a landscape for a cleaner and greener economy.

Likewise, public advocacy plays a pivotal role by fostering convergence between regional stakeholders and EU counterparts. In this context, Green Forward will address the need to mainstream GCE values and benefits at a policy level.

The project aims to bring into line EU best practices while contributing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 12 (ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns).

The project places a strong emphasis on capacity building to empower stakeholders with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive meaningful change.

Training programs, technical assistance, study tours, and knowledge-sharing platforms will be developed to equip policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders with skills needed to implement effective and inclusive GCE policies and practices.

The initiative aims to build local capacities and facilitate exchanges of best practices, ultimately strengthening the region's ability to address environmental challenges and seize regulatory opportunities.

Within Green Forward, a wide range of partners will be actively engaged. Among them, public administrations, government agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia, etc. By fostering collaborations and synergies among diverse stakeholders, the project aims to amplify its impact and drive meaningful change at scale.