
On 12 and 13 May 2016, more than 600 participants attended in Dubrovnik (Croatia) the 1st Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), jointly organised by the European Commission and the Government of Croatia.
One year and a half after the launch of this EU macro-regional strategy, the Forum gathered together the representatives of the national, regional and local administrations of the eight participating countries, as well as a wide range of stakeholders (academia, business sector, civil society) to discuss the progress so far and define the way forward.
The Dubrovnik Declaration adopted in the meeting calls for solidarity with the communities hit by the refugees and migrants crisis. It advocates for exploring avenues of action that the Strategy could undertake in this regard and tasks the Interreg Adrion programme to come out with concrete proposals.
Three parallel sessions offered a platform for exchange and discussion about crucial issues connected to the four pillars of the Strategy: 1) Blue Growth, 2) Connecting the Region, 3) Environmental Quality and 4) Sustainable Tourism.
The Forum confirmed the potential of the Strategy, not only for increased competitiveness and connectivity in the region, but also for supporting the path to EU integration of the four participating candidate and potential candidate countries.
During the opening session, the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, pointed out the key role that EUSAIR plays for a real integration and the promotion of the competitiveness in the territory.
