Ansamed

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, OCTOBER 11 - The new European strategy aiming to create an Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion - an area gathering together the eight countries bordering the Adriatic and the Ionian seas - is on its way, and intends to coordinate the resources available from the 2012-2013 European Union budget ''for synergy and shared governance''. Marches regional governor - as well as sponsor in Europe of the proposal for an opinion on the recognition of this macroregion - Gian Mario Spacca will today be presenting this opinion in Brussels for its definitive approval by the Regions Committee, which is to meet in a plenary session. An approval, as Spacca told ANSA, which will allow ''the European Parliament and especially the EU Commission of setting in motion the monitoring of this area to foster integration among the current measures of this multilevel governance and therefore the targets that the macrostrategy sets itself.'' This macroregion ''is the third one in Europe after the Baltic and Danube ones,'' underscored Spacca. ''These macroregions can strengthen the process of European cohesion, especially in the weaker areas.'' There are a number of advantages to such a strategy. ''There are very strong reasons to support it,'' he continued, listing its strong points.

''Above all, the Adraitic-Ionian Macroregion is important because it connects the two shores, and therefore the territories around the two seas which were separated for so long during the entire Cold War period. In this way, the Adriatic and Ionian seas can once again become a shared space for growth and development and no longer a border as they were from WWII to the fall of the Berlin Wall.'' Moreover, the strategy ''fosters the process for the integration of pre-membership countries in the area,'' since today ''there is an empty space constituted by the Balkan-Adriatic area'', and makes it possible to ''activate sustainable development processes and therefore consolidation of the economy in an area which is particularly fragile.'' Finally, ''this strategy is also part of the Mediterranean cooperation process and could progressively facilitate the creation of an even larger macroregional strategy for the Mediterranean.'' Its approval today by the Regions Committee sets in motion ''the action plan, which brings together from the bottom up all the projects which are currently activated by the various countries, regions, chambers of commerce, universities, and cities of this Adriatic region,'' said Spacca. An action plan which ''will have to accompany the recognition process for the macroregion, planned for 2014, when Italy will have the rotating presidency of the European Union.'' In the meantime, the Marches regional president wanted to reassure the European Commission on the fact that this strategy ''is not just some Latin trick to seek more funding: we are doing this macroregional strategy because we are truly concerned with taking part in the process for the strengthening of European cohesion and therefore we are willing to integrate local, regional and national policies within a macroregional strategic framework fostering the strengthening of Europe,'' he said. (ANSAmed).