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On 7 November 2022, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov hosted the annual meeting of the CEI Foreign Ministers in Sofia. Supporting Ukraine in the ongoing Russian aggression against it; mitigating the impact the war is having across the region, on its citizens and economies; furthering European integration and diversification of energy supplies, were among the topics analysed and discussed, especially with regard to the recent escalation in Ukraine, witnessing attacks to cities and civilian infrastructures.

The Ministers underlined the CEI’s valuable role in fostering constructive regional cooperation among its Member States and its concrete actions. They noted that this role had become even more vital in view of the pressing international challenges; and that it would be of particular importance also in rebuilding Ukraine and in the European integration process. 

The Ministers identified coordination, solidarity and unity as the answers to the pressing issues. This and other important messages were sent and incorporated into their Joint Statement adopted at the end of the gathering.

Amb. Pigliapoco, Head of the AII Permanent Secretariat was invited to attend and in his statement highlighted four main points:

  • AII TRIO-Presidency Joint Statement condemning in the strongest terms the military invasion of Ukraine from the Russian Federation;
  • Speeding up the EU integration process of the Western Balkan countries;
  • The Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairmanship of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (June 2022-May 2023);
  • Fruitful cooperation with the Central European Initiative.

The Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina will host a three-day conference entitled “Women’s economic empowerment: fostering new synergies in the Adriatic and Ionian macro-region”, which will take place at the Congress Center, Terme Ilidža, from 12 to 14 October 2022 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The conference will be in a hybrid format, with a livestream, enabling participants who are not able to attend in person to join online.

The event is organized in cooperation with the AII Permanent Secretariat and UN Women within the framework of the Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative (AII) and the European Union (EU) Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR).

The Conference represents an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to regional cooperation and multilateralism, but also for presenting and exchanging good practices, know-how and challenges in order to strengthen gender equality and equal opportunities in the Adriatic Ionian region.

The opening session is scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, at 14.00.

In order to attend and follow the event you are kindly requested to register in advance in order at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WP1NIXXqR9WGiJzejIP09w

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information in order to access the online event.

Here the Agenda of the event and a Concept note.

The 9th REDETE Conference 2022, named “Present and future challenges in regional development in the Adriatic-Ionian Region” will take place on September 15-16, 2022 in Ancona (Italy), within the framework of the AII Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized by the Marche Polytechnic University in cooperation with the University of Banja Luka and the AII Permanent Secretariat.

REDETE (Researching Entrepreneurship and Economic Development) is a professional network of academics, businesspersons and professionals in the Western Balkan region producing, in cooperation with many other international institutions, applied research on the impacts of globalisation and European integration on local Balkan communities. Among others, its professional activities contribute to the reconciliation of ethnic and religious communities of the region following the conflicts of the 1990s. REDETE provides synergies between the local government, graduate students and SMEs. In this respect, it acts as a catalyst between the public and the private sectors of the economy by way of developing synergies between them and the higher education sector. REDETE's annual conference, founded in 2011 with the aim to (re)launch debates and scholarly research on issues concerning economic development in transition countries, has now moved onto a more complex and rewarding role, benefitting local communities, government, business, students and academics.

The 9th REDETE Conference

The Western Balkan region is part of the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) launched in 2014, a long-term strategic policy framework aiming to promote economic and social prosperity in the region by improving its attractiveness, competitiveness, and connectivity. The Region is facing unprecedented challenges, from the post-pandemic recovery to the green and digital revolutions, which are increasing disparities between central and peripheral regions and between urban and inland areas. After eight years of implementation, it is time for a first evaluation of EUSAIR results and for proposing new development trajectories for the Adriatic-Ionian Regions and its inner areas.

The aim of the 9th REDETE Conference is to encourage researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to contribute to our understanding of the challenges faced by countries and regions to promote economic development and regional integration.

Topics of interest include:

Entrepreneurship and innovation: new firm formation and firm dynamics; university-industry collaboration; academic entrepreneurship; innovation in transition economies; entrepreneurial and SMEs financing.

Regional development: clustering and networking; interfirm relations; regional innovation ecosystems; foreign direct investments; role of banks and financial markets; role of infrastructure.

Cohesion policy and European identity: population dynamics; social policy, poverty, and exclusion; legal systems, corruption, and inequality; EU cohesion policy.

The political economy of ethnic reconciliation in the Western Balkans: public policy and welfare state regimes in the region; building a multi-faith society across borders; integration and social tolerance; sustainable economic development and public policy models.

Migration: migrant and refugee crises; migrant socio-economic integration; brain drain; remittances; return migration; migrant entrepreneurship; migration policies.

Please find here the Agenda of the event.

For further information please visit the official website: https://www.redete.org/index.php

The first AII Committee of Senior Officials under Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairmanship will take place in Sarajevo and via videoconference on October 5, from 18.00 to 19.00 (CEST), at the end of the Technical Meeting of EUSAIR National Coordinators.

The Calendar of events and the priorities of the current year (1 June 2020 – 31 May 2021) of the AII BiH Chairmanship will be presented together with a Programme of activities of the Permanent Secretariat.

Senior Officials will be also informed on the outcome of the call for applications related to the AII Scholarships for international students at the Marche Polytechnic University and on the most recent events organized with the support of the AII Permanent Secretariat.

The meeting of the Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and European Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) was held on May 16th in Tirana within the larger framework of the 7th EUSAIR annual Forum, concluding the successful one-year Albanian Chairmanship of these regional mechanisms (1 June 2021-31 May 2022). 

  1. CALL FOR 10 AII SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT MARCHE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY - ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023
  2. XVIII CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF AII PARLIAMENTS – MAY 5-6, TIRANA
  3. AII Round Table - Chamber System in the Adriatic and Ionian Region – May 18, Tirana
  4. Articolo Amb. Castellaneta - "Ucraina in Ue. Una lezione dai Balcani"