On 28 July 2026, our colleague Chiara Vecchiato represented the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Programme at the Kick-off Meeting of the Italian EUSAIR Presidency, held at the Unioncamere headquarters in Rome. The event marked the launch of Italy's Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), which will lead the Strategy until 30 May 2027.
The meeting brought together representatives of Italian and European institutions, national and regional authorities, participating EUSAIR countries, and Managing Authorities of the European Territorial Cooperation Programmes in the Adriatic-Ionian area. During its Presidency, Italy will focus on strengthening cooperation across the Adriatic-Ionian Region, improving connectivity and infrastructure, promoting the blue economy, and supporting the European integration process of the Western Balkans.
The event was opened by Tommaso Foti, Minister for European Affairs, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and Cohesion Policies, and Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who reaffirmed the strategic role of macro-regional cooperation and Italy's support for the European integration of the Western Balkans. Another keynote speech was delivered by Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, who stressed that macro-regional strategies are a practical tool for turning borders into opportunities for cooperation, growth and shared development.
