News

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”. 

• Eusair

The first Governing Board (GB) of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) was held in Ancona on 22 and 23 January.

The two days' event marked the beginning of the implementation phase of the EUSAIR.

The representatives of the eight participating States , together with the representatives of the EU Commission and of other Institutions represented in the GB , focused on the governance of the Strategy , with particular emphasis on the Rules of procedures of the Governing Board and of the Thematic Steering Groups . They also tackled the issue of an increased involvement of civil society and stakeholders during the implementation phase of the Strategy.

Other items as : general criteria for the inclusion of projects and actions in the Action plan ; communication and publicity of the EUSAIR ; calendar of the Steering Groups meetings ; GB Annual Forum ,were high on the Agenda.

The intergovernmental body of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative ( Committee of Senior Officials ) met in the margins of the Governing Board in the afternoon of Thursday 22 January.

The main item of the Agenda ( overhaul of the AII Round Tables with a view to align them with the EUSAIR activities ) was thoroughly discussed by the representatives of the Eight Ministries of Foreign Affairs at the presence of a representative of the European Commission.

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.

The project on "Innovative skills and competences for entrepreneurs in order to promote a new sustainable tourism in the Adriatic and Ionian Area" co-financed under the Regional Cooperation Programme 2012 of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative has been successfully concluded.

The project was led by the Adriatic and Ionian Forum of Chambers of Commerce and realized in partnership with associations and Chambers from Albania, BiH, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro  and Serbia. Its aim  has been to give a concrete contribution to the creation of an integrated tourism system in the Adriatic and Ionian Area favoring the dialogue between private tourist operators and public authorities for the growth of the competitiveness on tourism of the whole Region.

The objective has been realized carrying out a series of activities as follows:

• Establishment of a web-community focused on the development of a more competitive and sustainable tourism;
• Technical seminars for private tour operators in all IAI countries;
• Design and testing of a new technological tool to promote an approach to micro-marketing of a new integrated  tourist destination(ADRION);
• A multilingual wholesaler web site focused on accessible and sustainable tourism http://www.adrion-tourism.eu/