News

• Eusair

A Delegation of the AII Permanent Secretariat led by the Secretary General, Amb. Pigliapoco attended the International Conference "Adriatic and Ionian Region: New Opportunities for Development and Cooperation . The Role of the Chambers and Other Stakeholders" in Zagreb on March 13th .

The Conference was organized by the Croatian Chamber of Economy in the framework of the AIC Forum and was aimed at raising awareness about the "EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region" with Croatian Stakeholders.

Among others, the meeting was attended by Mr. Rodolfo Giampieri, President of the AIC Forum, Mr. Hrvoje Marušić Assistant Minister for the Croatian MFA and Mr. Andrej Plenkovic, Croatian MP at the EU Parliament.

The AII Round Table on Tourism under the Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been held last Thursday 5 February in Trebinje .

The issue discussed during the meeting took into account the recently endorsed “EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region” with a focus on Pillar IV of the Plan of Action (Sustainable Tourism).

The connection between sports (Rafting) and tourism has been high on the agenda as well as the use of local resources and the development of new tourist routes involving more than an AII country such as the “Via Dinarica”. 

On February 3rd, the call for scholarships for the Erasmus Mundus SUNBEAM project has been opened. The Adriatic and Ionian Initiative is associate partner of the project.

Students, researchers, academic and administrative staff from universities from AII Countries can apply for mobility aimed at studying, researching, training in one of the Universities partner in the project.

In order to apply for the scholarship, candidates must present their application online following the instructions on this link http://www.sunbeam.univpm.it/EN/apply-now

The application deadline is 31 March 2015.

All information about the project are available at www.sunbeam.univpm.it

The Committee of  Senior Officials of the A.I.I held in Ancona on 22 January last under the Chairmanship of Bosnìa and Herzegovina decided , inter alia , to give mandate to the Permanent Secretariat to work on a comprehensive overhaul of the "Rules of procedure of the Round Tables of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative " .

The adoption of the EUSAIR has opened a new era of cooperation among adriatic and ionian Countries and within the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative- Senior Officials agreed – making it necessary for the A.I.I. to adapt itself to the new situation by avoiding overlapping and duplication and by becoming a solid support to the Macroregional Strategy of which it represents the " intergovernmental anchorage ".

Reorienting the work of the Round Tables towards a macroregional dimension and putting them at the service of the Thematic Steering Groups , thus transforming them into a further instrument of the Adriatic and Ionian Strategy , would not only be desirable but necessary and mutually beneficial for the EUSAIR and the A.I.I. - they concluded.

The discussion was based on a paper under the headline " A.I.I. Round Tables : proposal for an overhaul " , presented by the Permanent Secretariat .

See: annex.