More than 350 companies from Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the occupied territories are participating in an EU-sponsored initiative to find European partners in business on 6-8 December in Cairo.

The Partenariat EU-Middle East aims to create new links between companies that will increase investment into the Middle East, as well as encourage companies in the region to develop their export potential.

This will be the first partenariat to cover the east Mediterranean. In the past, similar events have targeted selected areas of the EU, Eastern Europe, North Africa and Turkey. The December meeting is expected to be attended by firms from other countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which will have observer status.

The partenariat committee has published a list of the participating Middle East companies covering various sectors, including food processing, construction, textiles, tourism, electrical and mechanical engineering, electronics and pharmaceuticals.