Brussels, 05/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The forthcoming macro-regional strategy which will cover the Adriatic and Ionian region is starting to take shape. The foreign affairs ministers of the eight countries concerned will meet in Athens on 6 and 7 February, at a session which will also be attended by the European commissioners for maritime affairs and regional development. The conference, to be held under the aegis of the Greek Presidency, will prepare the ground on the basis of the results of the consultation which ran until late 2013, with a view to drafting an action plan expected to be presented by the European Commission in June of this year.
500 representatives of the stakeholders to the micro-strategy will also take part in this conference, which will be opened by Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. This major meeting is “a crucial stage in our preparations”, said European Commissioner for Regional Development Johannes Hahn, who has high hopes of this macro-region to “contribute to the further integration of the Western Balkans by offering the chance to work alongside neighbours on areas of common interest”. He stressed that most of the work had been done not by the European Executive, but by the participant countries, whose political engagement in the process is decisive.
The macro-region, which should be formally established by the end of the year, will, for the first time, cover the same number of EU member states (Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia) as third countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia). These countries will join forces to provide solutions to common problems in four priority areas (for which the countries have already worked together in pairs in a coordinated consultation). These areas are maritime growth (Greece-Montenegro), transport and energy networks (Italy-Serbia), sustainable tourism (Croatia-Albania) and the protection of the environment (Slovenia-Bosnia and Herzegovina). The joint efforts to be made in these areas will also aim to create jobs and growth in these coastal regions. (MD/transl.fl)