Ansamed

(ANSAmed) - REGGIO CALABRIA, JUNE 27 - This morning the "Med in Italy- Sustainable building in the Mediterranean" project was presented at the Chamber of Commerce of Reggio Calabria. Med in Italy is intended for companies operating in the building industry and housing sector network. The project has two objectives: increasing trade and exchanges involving production as well as transferring technology and skills between Southern Italy and operators in five Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey); and establishing common eco-sustainable urban development policies and programmes in Southern Italy and the Mediterranean basin. The first stage of the project will involve an event on June 27-29 where the most important businesses in the construction sector will meet with institutional, university, research, training and association representatives. Lucio Dattola, the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Reggio Calabria, emphasised the importance of this project, which aims to form a permanent laboratory for collaboration and project development between the different parties involved, a Euromediterranean space to activate economic, institutional and cultural relations. "It is of the utmost importance to create alliances and collaborations which create a system for the strong points of Calabria's business, institutional and cultural worlds as well as the fields of training and research at various levels," said Dattola. "It will be essential to create a stable synergy of cultures and knowledge, especially in a sectors such as construction, building, housing and furniture." The importance of knowledge was also emphasised by Massimo Giovannini, the Rector of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, which has been working for years on projects that involve the South and East areas of the Mediterranean. "Due to its central position, Italy plays an essential role in the Mediterranean, where there are important opportunities which often go undeveloped, and which could be capitalised on," said Giovannini, "and this project is a first step. As a University, we will work with and assist the business world, but the businesses must transfer and move forward with the projects. The political world, which knows its own territory and its dynamics, must also be involved, and this will be one of the tasks of the Chamber of Commerce. Because politics, businesses and culture are the driving forces that will allow these project to make progress. Without knowledge, projects do not exist." Antonio Palmieri, the Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce, reiterated the importance of this event, which will conclude on June 29 with a forum entitled, "For a Mediterranean system of urban sustainable development", a morning dedicated to discussions on the results of previous encounters and to establish the future courses of action of the Mediterranean laboratory regarding sustainable urban and rural development and the Mediterranean city. (ANSAmed).