On 30 January 2012, in Bari, Italy, ETF director Ms Madlen Serban and Lino Cardarelli, the Acting Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean signed a letter of intent and agreed on the main areas of cooperation between the two institutions.

The document is the result of several exchanges with the most important stakeholders active in the Southern Mediterranean regions. It's aiming to promote human capital development as a key aspect in the development of cohesive and sustainable economies and societies in this region.

In 2012, the two institutions agreed to promote knowledge sharing in the areas of employment, entrepreneurship and SMEs skills. The ETF and the Union for the Mediterranean will exchange information on analytical work and knowledge on the countries and regions, such as findings of country and regional or sub-regional research, methodologies, practices, and publications. Both institutions will ensure the participation of their experts in the regional, sub-regional or thematic activities carried out in these areas.

Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is a multilateral partnership which aims to increase the potential of regional integration and cohesion among Euro-Mediterranean partners. The central mission of the UfMS is to increase, promote and ensure coordination of regional, sub-regional and transnational projects to improve socio-economic development, regional integration, sustainable development and the exchange of knowledge among and within the countries of the UfM.