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The Regional Cooperation Meeting, gathering the Secretariats of European Regional Organizations, had its traditional annual session in Budapest at the premises of the Danube Commission.
The President and the Director General of the Danube Commission hosted the meeting that was attended by representatives of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Baltic Sea States Council, the Central European Initiative, the Regional Cooperation Council, the Union for the Mediterranean and the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative.
The delegates discussed about possible synergies among their organizations and shared their own experience of regional cooperation. Security cooperation (in terms of terrorism threats and refugee crisis) aroused as a new priority to be tackled by all regional organizations and an exchange of information and experiences on this issue was deemed advantageous.
The XIV Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative took place in Split on 15-16 April 2016.
This meeting comes in a very crucial moment for Regional Cooperation in the Adriatic and Ionian area only few weeks before the first EUSAIR Forum to be held in Dubrovnik on 12-13 May.
The Conference resulted in strengthened parliamentary cooperation in the Adriatic and Ionian area on the refugee and migration crisis and on the support to the "European Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region".
Furthermore, based on a decision taken during the XIII Conference of Speakers in Neum, the AII Speakers established a network of high officials of National Parliaments aimed at facilitating a permanent exchange of information and experiences among the parliaments on EUSAIR and AII issues.
The Secretary General of the AII addressed the Speakers informing them about the intergovernmental activities of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative during this year, particularly concerning its role of intergovernmental anchorage to the EUSAIR.
The second Committee of Senior Officials under the Chairmanship of Croatia took place in Brussels last February 23.
Main topics of the meeting were: a report by the Presidency on the activities carried out during the first semester as well as its program of events until May; A discussion over the overhauled AII Round Tables and how to best connect them with EUSAIR Thematic Steering Groups; Next Adriatic and Ionian Council in the framework of the First Forum of the EUSAIR that will take place in Dubrovnik.
The latter topic had particular relevance as Senior Officials confirmed their decision to join forces with the ongoing macroregional process for the Adriatic and Ionian Region and to coordinate their political/ministerial level of cooperation. Consequently, a joint “Adriatic and Ionian Council/ EUSAIR Ministerial meeting” will take place on 12 May in Dubrovnik and will issue a single ministerial declaration.
Senior Officials also decided that, even though the topic of migration is not among the priorities of the AII and EUSAIR, the terrible refugee crisis unfolding along the Balkan Route and in the Mediterranean will have a place in the Declaration, committing AII Countries and the Commission to consider how the EUSAIR could contribute to its solution.
The 3rd Meeting of the Governing Board of the European Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) took place on February 24 in Brussels.
The main topic of the meeting was the organization of the “First EUSAIR Forum” in Dubrovnik. In this context both practical and conceptual aspects were discussed, including how to coordinate efforts with the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative considering that, for the first time, a “double hat” Ministerial Meeting will issue a single Adriatic and Ionian Council / EUSAIR Ministerial Declaration.
The meeting was also intended to update delegates on the latest developments, the work plan for 2016 and on the activities carried out by Thematic Steering Groups after three rounds of meetings.
Concluding, the Governing Board discussed questions related to the ADRION program, its state of play, and the Strategic project “EUSAIR Facility Point”.
The AII Round Table on Sustainable Tourism and Culture has been held in Zagreb on November 25.
It has been the first Round Table after the overhaul approved by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the Adriatic and Ionian Council of 13 May 2015 aimed at linking the AII intergovernmental instrument of cooperation with the EUSAIR Governance with a view of pooling energies and avoid overlapping.
The meeting - held back to back with the Thematic Steering Group on Sustainable Tourism (26 November) - was chaired by the Ministry of Tourism of Croatia with the support of the Permanent Secretariat.
The new system is also aimed at involving civil society much more than the past in order to have a two way communication with the TSGs in terms of recommendations, opinions, project proposals etc. In fact, besides representative of national Ministries of Tourism, the meeting was attended by representatives of the AI Forum of Chambers of Commerce, the AI Forum of Cities, AdriaPan (the Network of Marine Protected Areas), NGOs as well as by private entrepreneurs.
The results of the meeting were brought at the attention of the TSG on Sustainable Tourism of the following day by the AII Secretary General .