Ambitious start of the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week, 2024, Izola, Slovenia
The ninth edition of the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week, started on 17 September with two important meetings concerning the macro-regional cooperation. The morning meeting of the EUSAIR Smart Specialisation Strategy Authorities tackled “Innovation and research” as one of the horizontal topics being addressed by the EUSAIR Strategy through all 5 Pillars, as decided during the EUSAIR Action Plan revision in year 2022 and 2023. A foundation was laid for the EUSAIR S3 authorities network.
The traditional event brought some 200 participants to Izola, a charming old fishing town in Southwest Slovenia at the Adriatic Coast. The event aims to raise awareness of the sea and the coast and the need to balance their economic potential and environmental sustainability. Over the years, the event has developed into one of the key platforms for meetings and exchange of experiences between all four EU macro-regional strategies. Such integrations allow for faster progress, encourage innovative ideas, create synergies and contribute to better results and higher added value for macro-regional cooperation.
Wednesday, the 18 September was marked by an official opening, with High Level representatives from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development of the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, European Commission and Municipality of Izola.
The opening was followed by a high-level political panel entitled Cohesion Policy Post - 2027: Macro-Regions and EU programmes – coordinating approaches in addressing common challenges. It was attended by distinguished speakers, including Mr. Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development of the Republic of Slovenia, Domagoj Mikulić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia, and Sławomir Tokarski, DG Regio. The panelists focused on the future of cohesion policy and the coordination of EU sustainable development programmes in all the four macro-regions.
The Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week offers a varied programme of events open to the public until Friday, the 20 September, covering topics on Cohesion Policy Post - 27, the circular economy, digitalisation, smart specialisation, soft skills and construction interventions in the sea and on land.
