EMEG -Euro-Mediterranean Expert Group: its role and its contribution

What is EMEG?

The Euro-Mediterranean Expert Group -EMEG- is a group of high level professionals from EU Members States and Mediterranean Partner Countries.

EMEG aims at developing recommendations and suggestions to the European Commission for the development of the future agenda for the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in research and innovation, with emphasis on enhancing research impact, effective policies and adequate holistic and sustainable approach to three main societal challenges in the Mediterranean region:

• resource efficiency (particularly, water)

• high quality affordable food

• energy (particularly, renewable energies)

EMEG brings together professionals with different background and experience, coming from different countries and representing – other than traditional thematic / scientific interests – also horizontal stakes like (innovation, policy and governance, private enterprise, socio-economics, gender, and cultural heritage.).

What is EMEG's role?

• EMEG develops a conceptual frame accounting for different issues and stakes in the above three societal challenges with the aim of ensuring a sustainable and integrated research and innovation approach to Water, Food, and Energy.

• EMEG provides recommendations and inputs for actions to the European Commission (particularly in relation to the upcoming European Research and Innovation Programme “Horizon 2020”) in order to frame and orient the Euro-Mediterranean agenda towards the real societal needs.

• EMEG holds inputs and suggestions from the broader public in great esteem. Hence, it acts as a filter to channel proposals and comments coming from civil society's organizations, researchers, and active citizens into its documents and policy recommendations.

How does EMEG work?

EMEG is based upon a total number of 45 experts, divided in three sub-thematic groups of 15 experts:

• EMEG sub- group “water” (pool of 15 experts)

• EMEG sub-group “Food” (pool of 15 experts)

• EMEG sub-group “energy” (pool of 15 experts)

Each sub-groups carries out activities of stocktaking, assessment and analysis on Water, Food and Energy. The end result of these activities is to provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to the above societal challenges

As described above, in order to ensure transparency and the participation of the wider public, outputs and documents produced by EMEG will be publicly available and subject to open consultation.

If you want to know more about EMEG, have a look at this infographic, or download it in .pdf format.