About Us
EMGN seeks to to alleviate the region’s structural constraints for MSMEs to access to finance
The Euro-Mediterranean Guarantee Network (EMGN) is promoted by the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA), the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMED) and with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The network was launched in 2012 following several meetings during 2011-2013 at the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona (Spain), the CGSs representatives from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine), the European Guarantee Association (AECM) and UfM officials.
Our Purpose
BRIDGE
The knowledge gap as regards MSMEs access to finance in the region.
EXPAND
Guarantee schemes in the Northern and Southern Mediterranean and the advancement of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in the area of credit guarantees.
INCREASE COOPERATION
Between EU, the Northern and Southern Mediterranean institutions active in the development of MSMEs and their access to finance, thorough i.e. the recently established European External Investment Plan.
SUPPORT
The development of Northern and Southern Mediterranean guarantee schemes’ product range and particularly in the MSME segment
ENHANCE
The operating environment of Northern and Southern Mediterranean guarantee schemes.
PROVIDE
Evidence on the impact of credit guarantees and on the feasibility for the implementation of other guarantee instruments such as counter guarantees funds and equity guarantees.
DISSEMINATE
Knowledge on guarantee schemes via appropriated supports.
INTENSIFY
Cooperation between the credit guarantee schemes beyond the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Regional Outlook
EMGN responds to the recommendations endorsed by EU and Southern Mediterranean high-level stakeholders from banks, private equity and venture capital firms, stock exchanges, and MSME support agencies during the CEPS-IEMed working group on the future of MSMEs financing. The latter were endorsed during the 2011 Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Industry, held in Malta, as well as the 2014 UfM Ministerial Conference on industrial cooperation, held in Brussels.
EMGN builds on the previous research work undertaken by the Mediterranean Prospects Network (MEDPRO) – more precisely a technical paper assessing the role of CGS in the region and a policy paper emphasising the role of guarantees; and the Euro-Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies (EMNES) – mainly the policy paper on how to achieve financial development that is inclusive and that contributes to economic growth and job creation in SEMCs through guarantee to facilitate the access to finance to MSMEs.
EMGN builds on institutional frameworks and policies implemented by the EU with the
aim of supporting the development of MSMEs and access to finance as an important target of
EU’s cooperation with the SEM countries. Indeed, these policies range from the Renovated
Mediterranean Policy of 1990, the Barcelona Process of 1995, the European Neighbourhood
Policy (ENP) of 2004, as well as the Mediterranean Business Development Initiative (MBDI),
which was launched in 2008 as one of the initiatives under the Union for the Mediterranean
(UfM).
EMGN is at the junction of other initiatives such as EU’s newly created External
Investment Plan (EIP) that was adopted in September 2017 to help boost investment in
partners’ countries in Africa and the European Neighbourhood. It aims to contribute to the
UN's sustainable development goals (SDG) while tackling some of the root causes of migration,
as well as mobilize and leverage sustainable public and private investments to improve
economic and social development with a particular focus on decent job creation.
