Priority 4
Supporting the Governance of the Adriatic-Ionian region

 

The Adriatic-Ionian area frames 10 partner, four Member States (Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia), five candidate and potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) and one third country (San Marino). The Adriatic Ionian geographical area is inevitably a political lab for a future enlarged Europe and ground for testing foreign EU policies with regard to challenges affecting trade, energy, migrations, and environment, just to name a few. Due to the political, cultural and natural relevance of the Adriatic-Ionian area, its partner countries initiated a joint path, which brought to the adoption of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) by the European Commission on 17 June 2014 and further endorsed by the European Council on the same year; EUSAIR incorporates the maritime strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Seas adopted on 30 November 2012.

The macro-regional strategy is one of the EU most recent and innovative policy framework, which fosters countries located in the same region to jointly tackle challenges and find solutions to problems or to better use the potential they have in common (e.g. pollution, natural and cultural heritage, worldwide business competition, etc.). The macroregion shall benefit and be an active promoter of strengthened cooperation, with the aim of making their policies more efficient than if they had addressed the issues in isolation. The EUSAIR is a solid partnership representing all the involved countries and an efficient collaboration mechanism aimed at contributing to a harmonious and cohesive cooperation environment. Beyond the support to thematic transnational joint cooperation reported in the selected Specific Objectives identified, actions to reduce the cohesion divide characterising the Adriatic-Ionian area should be addressed to the following main categories of beneficiaries, namely public administrators, civil society, and young people, to root and further consolidate cooperation and solidarity behaviours.

Transnational cooperation contribution IPA ADRION will support actions in the following thematic fields:

Transnational multilevel and multi-sectoral cooperation governance.

European perspective of IPA partner countries.

Increasing awareness / Encouraging the discussion on topics aimed at bringing strategic discussion in the area.

Administrative barriers reduction and administrative capacity enforcement.

Granted actions shall mainly contribute to the implementation of EUSAIR, the Manifesto for Young People by Young People to Shape the European Cooperation Policy, the EU Green Deal, the EU Strategy for the Western Balkans, the Western Balkan agenda on innovation, research, education, culture, youth and sport, the EU Enlargement process.

The proposed actions shall be implemented through the grant
of three operations of strategic importance (OSIs):

EUSAIR Facility Point. This project, coordinated by a Slovenian body, will ensure the implementation of: a. Administrative and technical support to the EUSAIR governance meetings of all levels; b. Communication and Coordination; c. Support to decision making and capacity development of the implementers at their levels; d. Monitoring and evaluation of EUSAIR.
EUSAIR Stakeholders Point. This project, coordinated by an Italian body, will ensure the implementation of: a. Stakeholder involvement and engagement; b The support to financial dialogue and the establishment and coordination of networks of Managing Authorities.y.
EUSAIR strategic implementation. This project, coordinated by a Croatian body, will ensure the implementation of: a. Support to development and implementation of strategic implementation formats