Conference on “Horizon 2020” and Private Investor Involvement

Following up the commitment of all the Euro-Mediterranean Partners to "endorse a feasible timetable to de-pollute the Mediterranean Sea by 2020", the European Commission launched the 'Horizon 2020' initiative (Cairo, November 2006) that aims to tackle the top pollution sources of the Mediterranean by the year 2020.

The role and ways to enhance the involvement of private investors in Horizon 2020 will be discussed at the related Conference, 22-23 October 2007, to be held in Athens, Greece.

Reference to the Conference has been made in the Cairo Ministerial Declaration (November 20th, 2006), where the Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Environment notably “urge banks, other financial institutions and Clean Tech Venture Capital Funds to participate in this endeavour”. Investments are in particular expected in the urban and industrial waste water treatment and waste management sectors, which are the most crucial for tackling land-based pollution in the Mediterranean.

The objective of the Conference is to gather key-players involved in the Horizon 2020 initiative to explore the ways of involving the private sector in support of the initiative.