17th Coordination Meeting of Regional Organization - 5 December 2023, Ancona
The 17th Coordination Meeting of Regional Organizations took place in Ancona, Italy, on 5 December 2023, hosted by the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII) Permanent Secretariat.
The Meeting was attended also by the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Special guests were the Fora of Civil Society: the Forum of the Adriatic and Ionian Chambers of Commerce, the Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities and UniAdrion, the network of the Adriatic Ionian Universities.
The overall objective of the meeting was to exchange views and information on the activities carried out by each of these organizations as well as to discuss possibilities and modalities to further enhance synergies, interaction and coordination in areas of common interest. Areas such as connectivity, blue economy, youth, skills, digitalization as well as project development and implementation were identified as offering the highest potential in this respect. The role of the civil society as well as the importance of the cooperation with the European Union were also highlighted.
AII Secretary General Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta opened the event focusing on AII activities and the work related with the macro-regional strategy for the Adriatic Ionian Region, and stressed the importance of creating synergies. All participants presented their respective organizations’ ongoing and planned political and programme / project-oriented initiatives aimed at fostering regional dialogue and cooperation. The discussion centered around continuing to exchange views and sharing best practices to ensure collaborative actions in areas of mutual interest for their memberships, especially those relevant for the citizens, such as involving youth, tackling environmental challenges, people connectivity etc.
The BSEC PERMIS Secretary General Ambassador Lazar Comanescu focused on the importance BSEC attaches to the interaction and cooperation with other regional organizations the aims of which are similar or mutually reinforcing and advanced concrete proposals for enhancement of this cooperation. Participants agreed to continue strengthening their cooperation and synergies for the benefit of their respective Member States.
The CEI deputy Secretary General, Nina Kodelja provided insights into the political priorities of the CEI and the activities linked to fostering European integration, sustainable development as well as other activities in partnership with other international and regional organizations. She further reiterated its readiness to host the next Coordination Meeting in Trieste in 2024.
During the Meeting, a Letter of Intent for further strengthening the cooperation between the BSEC PERMIS and AII Permanent Secretariat has been signed.