Towards greater cooperation in the Adriatic and Ionian
On Thursday 6 February, Commissioner Damanaki is attending, together with Commissioner Hahn, a meeting with Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Adriatic and Ionian Council as well as a Conference with the stakeholders of the region, in the presence of Greek Prime Minister, M. Antonis Samaras.
In the morning, Foreign ministers from the eight coastal countries met with both Commissioners, as the European Commission gets ready to propose a tailor made strategy to reflect the needs and the capacities of the region. It follows a request from EU leaders in December 2012 to deliver the new macro-regional strategy by the end of 2014. The event marks the end of a wide consultation involving stakeholders from across the 8 countries.
In the afternoon, Commissioner Damanaki and Commissioner Hahn are speaking together with Prime Minister Samaras, at a high level conference gathering different stakeholders from the region. The event, co-hosted by the Greek Presidency of the Council and the European Commission, will bring together over 500 stakeholders from a broad-cross section of organisations ranging from national, regional and local administrations, businesses, civil society, academia, and media.
