XVI CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF PARLIAMENTS OF THE AII - BUDVA, 18-19 MARCH 2019
The XVI Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative took place in Budva on 18th-19th of March 2019.
The Conference has been attended by Presidents or Vice Presidents from the nine AII Participating Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. Aside from the host - President of the Montenegrin Parliament Mr Ivan Brajović and Prime Minister Mr Duško Marković, also Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Srđan Darmanović, Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulović, Minister of Culture of Montenegro Aleksandar Bogdanović and AII Secretary General Amb. Giovanni Castellaneta took part in the event.
The Conference dealt with the following topics:
• Tourism and culture as a common denominator, advantage and strategic commitment of the AII states
• Parliamentary bodies as an important resource for strengthening cooperation in priority areas of the AII states
The adoption of the Joint Statement marked the end of the 16th Conference of Presidents/Speakers of Parliaments of the Adriatic & Ionian Initiative (AII). In their Joint Statement, parliaments of Participating Countries determine that cooperation of national parliaments within the AII is important for identifying regional projects, which should, among other things, support the Western Balkans integration in the EU. Parliaments provide support to the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, which represents a useful instrument of cooperation between the EU Member States and candidate countries and potential membership candidates. Participants in the Conference, as representatives of their parliaments, call for European institutions to strengthen their political and financial support to the implementation of strategic projects from the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region.
The Statement also notes that the AII parliaments call for all national, regional and local authorities, private sector and the NGOs to continue to develop synergy between strategies of sustainable tourism and cultural sector. Participants point out the significance of improving infrastructure, which is essential for increasing accessibility and connectivity of the region and note the significance of security and safety for sustainable development of a tourism destination, and call for stronger cooperation and exchange of good practice among participating countries of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative.
Please find here a short clip about the XVI Conference and the adoption of the Joint Statement.
DOWNLOADS:
XVI CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF PARLIAMENTS OF THE AII – JOINT STATEMENT
WELCOME ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF MONTENEGRO MR IVAN BRAJOVIĆ
OPENING REMARKS BY AII SECRETARY GENERAL AMB. GIOVANNI CASTELLANETA