2022 Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week kicks off

20. 9. 2022

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy

This year's edition of the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week, which is organized around the theme ''A healthy sea for a safer future'', kicked off this week in Izola. The multi-day event puts spotlight on the importance of the sea and its hinterland for future development. State Secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, mag. Marko Koprivc, delivered remarks at the opening ceremony, highlighting the importance of working together for sustainable development, and the unique role of macro-regions as platforms that facilitate collaboration.

''Our future depends on our willingness to come together and act together,'' said State Secretary Koprivc, reminding that ''the recently approved Partnership Agreement between Slovenia and the European Commission is the result of hard work and cooperation with all government departments, both cohesion regions, local communities and the European Commission.''

The Partnership Agreement paves the way for investment of 3.26 billion euros in EU funding in Slovenia in the programming period 2021-2027. The bulk of the funds will be dedicated to implementing Cohesion Policy (EUR 3,216.6 million), part of the funding will be dedicated to addressing material deprivation (EUR 29.4 million) and a further EUR 23.9 million will be earmarked for the maritime, fisheries and aquaculture programme.

''As we drafted the Partnership Agreement we wanted to embed macro-regional priorities in the document as best as we could. Macro-regions are a unique solution and an invaluable platform where national institutions, academic sphere, local players and NGOs can cooperate. Cohesion Policy must act in a coordinated manner when countries face common challenges,'' underlined State Secretary. He said that the sea knows no administrative borders and that transboundary pollution spills from waters of one country to the waters of another. ''Nature is a living proof that a country or a region is as strong as it is cohesive and as weak as its weakest link. We will only be a strong counterpart to policy makers in Brussels if our region boasts strong connections,'' concluded State Secretary Koprivc.

The State Secretary said that the strong links in the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region are fostered by the partners of the strategic project EUSAIR Facility Point which is led by the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy. He added that the Municipality of Izola, the host of the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week, is one of the strategic partners of the project. In the end, State Secretary Koprivc underlined that ''together, we build on concrete ideas for the future of our region. I am honoured and proud to announce that we have agreed that Slovenia will continue to lead the project, building on the knowledge gained and lessons learned.''