Special to AG-IP News Agency 

AMMAN- HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Founding Chairman of La Verticale Africa Mediterranean Europe (La Verticale AME), Chairman of the Council of Business Leaders stated that the Wise Person initiative and the Council of Business Leaders are two instrumental pillars for  La Verticale success.

Speaking at the Sherpa meeting of the political pillar of La Vertical AME Foundation, the Wise Persons group virtual meeting, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh emphasized the need need to move faster in announcing La Verticale in the next African summit by portraying its objectives and promising future. The next European Union-African Union Summit is a good opportunity to call for the creation of such a great foundation.”

In addition, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh provided a set of recommendations including the heavy involvement of the media, establishing a comprehensive website, which Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global could assist in building and a general secretariat at first then a secretariat for each of the two pillars who would report to the president.

“In the governance structure, we need to name a council for La Verticale as a project and a council for each of these pillars and also we need to have a concept of a general meeting as every organization has a management or executive arm,” he said. 

The meeting follows up on the successful videoconference held on July 16th and was chaired by HE. Mr. Jean Claude Juncker, Honorary President of the AME Foundation, and it was attended by a host of Sherpas representing African and European leaderships.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated, "we are currently facing many challenges and the future might even bring more”. He added that “The world is facing many difficulties including the COVID-19 crisis and even the US Presidential elections (where  Dr. Abu Ghazaleh  predicted that President Donald Trump will declare victory prematurely  and will go to the Supreme Court to dispute election results if not in his favor) and that is just the tip of the iceberg,” Abu Ghazaleh said.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said that Europe and Africa, with the Mediterranean as a bridge between them, are historically linked and destined to be so forever in every way and the first meeting of the Council of Business Leaders will be the cornerstone for such an initiative.

“The first meeting of the Council of Business Leaders will be held December 3rd and it will lay the foundation for an important aspect in  La Verticale future and we want the world to benefit from such a global initiative,” Dr. Abu Ghazaleh further affirmed.

The online meeting was attended by high-profile “Wise Persons” group of European and African “Wise persons,” including Dr. Abu Ghazaleh initiative received support from Presidents of  Mauritania, Rwanda, Belgium, Italy, Kenya, Republic of Cabo Verde,  Burkina Faso, Senegal; in addition to  support from former presidents of Italy and Germany, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and  others.

The meeting also discussed: The path towards the AU-EU Summit: how to bring the AME Foundation into the process, State of play of the activities of the Foundation in the two other pillars (Think Tanks Network and Council of Business Leaders): information and orientations and first reflections about the governance structure of the Foundation.

With the aim of promoting the integration between Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe and linking the European and African continents through the Mediterranean, La Verticale AME was established in Brussels to orchestrate a new dawn for thoughts, values and partnerships as one of the programs of the Mediterranean World Economic Foresight Institute (IPEMED), a Euro-Mediterranean Think Tank.