The fourth edition of the Marrakech Parliamentary Economic Forum, organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (Pam) under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, concluded on Saturday, June 20. This esteemed forum, hosted by the Chamber of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco in partnership with the Parliamentary Network of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, has solidified its position as a pivotal event for economic parliamentary diplomacy across the Euro-Mediterranean, Gulf, and African regions.
Welcoming parliament leaders, ministers, and presidents of regional interparliamentary unions from three continents, Ambassador Sergio Piazzi, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, alongside H.E. Lahcen Haddad, Vice President of the Chamber of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco, set the stage for a robust discourse. Ambassador Piazzi’s institutional leadership, stemming from his extensive and authoritative experience in multilateral parliamentary diplomacy, serves as a cornerstone of continuity and strength for the forum, ensuring the coordination of an international assembly of remarkable breadth and complexity.
With the leadership of the Assembly entrusted to Honorable Giulio Centemero, President of Pam, Italy has reaffirmed its prominent role in the governance and facilitation of the forum. Among the various key moments that highlighted Italy's participation, Centemero delivered a keynote address during the Special Session on Africa, which focused on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the connectivity of Euro-African value chains. "Investing in Africa's growth means investing in the stability and future of the Mediterranean. We need partnerships based not on assistance but on shared responsibility: education, employment, infrastructure, innovation, and business development," stated Centemero. He emphasized that the challenge lies not merely in increasing trade between Europe and Africa, but in collaboratively building the industries of the future. "We face two great complementary economic spaces: Europe, with its capital, technology, and market; and Africa, with its youth, resources, and growth potential. If we can transform this complementarity into integrated production chains, the Mediterranean will emerge as a key development hub of the 21st century—a space of shared opportunities, not divisions. This is both an economic and geopolitical challenge," he added.
In addition to the distinguished leaders of the Assembly, Italy's presence was also notable in both institutional and economic spheres. Honorable Guglielmo Picchi, President of Sace, contributed Italian expertise in supporting exports and international investments during the opening session. In the realm of innovation and new technologies, Lorenzo Maternini, CEO of Perspective AI and board member of CDP Venture Capital, participated in the session focused on artificial intelligence and the establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf hub for AI. The Italian entrepreneurial and financial landscape was further represented by Stiven Muccioli, founder and CEO of BKN301 and SM Capital, alongside Alessandro Tommasi, CEO of FutureProofSociety (FPS), who were key figures in the session dedicated to SMEs and startups as engines of innovation and youth employment.
The fourth edition of the Forum also served as a backdrop for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Jordan's Oasis500, one of the longest-standing venture capital platforms in the MENA region, and SM Capital, a San Marino-based VC firm active between Europe and Silicon Valley in fintech and emerging markets. This framework of institutional collaboration connects co-investments, deal flow, relationships with institutional investors, and cooperation among ecosystems across the Mediterranean, MENA, Gulf, and Europe, under the theme of Building the Mediterranean Digital Capital Bridge. Priority sectors will include fintech, digital banking infrastructure, payments, embedded finance, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and enterprise software.
As reported by milanofinanza.it.
