As part of the project EuroMeSCo: Connecting the Dots, co-funded by the European Union and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), we are opening calls for researchers to take part in five different Joint Study Groups.

The EuroMeSCo Joint Study Groups 2021 will be made up of four Authors, including a Coordinator, who will jointly produce a Policy Study over a period of 6-7 months. Interested researchers may apply as Author or as Author and Coordinator to each Joint Study Group. In both cases, they will have to complete the online form and submit their application by 25 June (included).

Here is a brief description of the rationale of this Joint Study Group:

Anticipating and Mitigating Side-Effects: The Road to a Successful Green Transition in the Euro-Mediterranean Region

In its Joint Communication on a Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood released in February 2021, the European Commission sets out a new Agenda for a “green, digital, resilient and just recovery, guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal.” Furthermore, the post-COVID-19 context urges us to rediscover the road to growth through the transition to a sustainable and green economic model.

This EuroMeSCo Policy Study should offer a valuable and original contribution to the discussions on how Southern Mediterranean countries could benefit from the growth of the green economy. It should do so by focusing on possible side-effects the green transition may have for those countries. Who are the possible losers of the green transition? What are the geopolitical and economic ramifications of the green transition in the MENA countries? What are the possible spill-over effects of the EU’s ambitious green deal for MENA countries, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the Green Taxonomy? What are the possible environment risks associated with the production of renewable energies? What is the potential for associated fraud, corruption and misappropriation risks connected to the green transition?

By responding to these questions and fostering an evidence-based and forward-looking approach, the Policy Study should give tools to policy stakeholders, including the EU, to anticipate and ultimately mitigate the occurrence of potentially harmful impacts, in order to secure a successful transition for the benefit of the whole Euro-Mediterranean region.

The other four Joint Study Groups will be dealing with the following topics: Boosting Social Protection Reforms in the MENA Region; Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia: A Comparative Perspective on Maghreb Countries Migration Cooperation with their West African Neighbours; Artificial Intelligence, Law Enforcement and Security Agencies in the MENA Region: Risks and Opportunities; and Assessing the Job Creation Potential of Social Economy in the MENA Region. You may apply to more than one Joint Study Group but may eventually only be selected to join one of them.

See the EuroMeSCo Joint Study Groups 2021 Terms of Reference for more information.