The Euro-Mediterranean, a geographic, historic and cultural entity
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The Mediterranean basin constitutes a coherent geographic unit comprising some twenty countries with an outlet to the Mediterranean. The Mare Nostrum in ancient times for the most part formed a historic gateway between the various peoples within the region, enabling them to forge trading, intellectual and artistic relationships unmatched in the history of the world. |
Fruit and vegetables, a shared ‘culture’ in the Euro-Mediterranean
The Mediterranean diet is not a myth. Vines, olive and fig trees are part of the shared culture of the Mediterranean peoples. Even today, the region’s consumers are characterised by a distinctive predilection for fruit and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet is reflected in the consumption of 571 kilos per capita of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables in the fifteen countries in the south and east Mediterranean and of 888 kilos in the sixteen southern EU countries, compared with a worldwide average of 522 kilos. Finally, fruit and vegetables account for 35% of agricultural exports in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries and 16% in the case of southern EU countries. Fruit and vegetables are therefore well qualified to be a pilot project for the Euro-Mediterranean.
Medfel, an unparalleled cooperation tool in the Euro-Mediterranean
The Medfel trade fair is a clear demonstration that on both shores of the Mediterranean, the future economy can be built as partners, and not as rivals. Crops grown in both North and South are often complementary in terms of ranges. This is frequently true of the time frame for growing melons, peaches / nectarines and strawberries. It is also true of the customer base. The main outlet for produce grown both in France and southern Europe remains… the European Union.
Southern Mediterranean countries are the destination of just 1% of Languedoc Roussillon and Rhône Alpes exports and only 5% of PACA (Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur) exports.
Over the past twenty years, the fruit and vegetable sector has seen the emergence of wide array of partnerships between the two shores, via the creation of joint ventures, subsidiaries, interrelated financial interests and agreements of all kinds. A number of these projects were even created at Medfel.
Finally, fruit and vegetables play a catalytic role for road, rail and maritime infrastructures. As a key trade sector between the two shores, trading in fruit and vegetables has led to the building of roads and logistics infrastructures and contributes to the dynamic development of a large number of transport companies on both sides of the Mediterranean… sectors that generate employment on a large scale and play a major economic role for entire sections of the economy.
