Speaking at the opening of the 17th Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM), Azoulay said the "this union will gain credibility if the civil societies of the 43 countries are taken into consideration  in this 750 million- people zone".

    This is where stems the significance of the 10 projects proposed by COPEAM with the assistance of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Azoulay said, recalling the strategic aspect of this program through the creation of a multilingual Mediterranean TV station and the setting up  by 2011 of a website  in English, French and Arabic.

    Azoulay highlighted the fact that the Foundation and COPEAM share the same strategic choice to give a voice and an image to the euro-Mediterranean Audiovisual scene.

    This partnership which is based on 3000 NGOs forming the Mediterranean network of civil societies gathered by the Anna Lindh Foundation, will contribute the mobilization of public opinion for more  legitimacy and success of the Union of the Mediterranean, he said.

    COPEAM Conference is the occasion for the Euro-Mediterranean audiovisual operators to meet, to exchange,  to set up concrete projects and to focus together on the challenges of the Mediterranean media sector.