The 17th Coordination Meeting of Regional Organizations took place in Ancona, Italy, on 5 December 2023, hosted by the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII) Permanent Secretariat.
The annual meeting, where the CEI-Executive Secretariat was represented by Deputy Secretary General Nina Kodelja, also included the presence of representatives from regional organisations, such as the Permanent International Secretariat of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Special guests of the meeting were the Fora of Chambers of Commerce, Universities and Cities of the Adriatic an Ionian areas.
AII Secretary General Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta opened the event focusing on AII activities and the work related with the macro-regional strategy for the Adriatic Ionian Region, and stressed the importance of creating synergies. All participants presented their respective organizations’ ongoing and planned political and programme / project-oriented initiatives aimed at fostering regional dialogue and cooperation. The discussion centered around continuing to exchange views and sharing best practices to ensure collaborative actions in areas of mutual interest for their memberships, especially those relevant for the citizens, such as involving youth, tackling environmental challenges, people connectivity etc.
DSG Kodelja provided insights into the political priorities of the CEI and the activities linked to fostering European integration, sustainable development as well as other activities in partnership with other international and regional organizations.
The meeting confirmed the will to further seek and work on opportunities for enhanced cooperation to amplify the result of respective actions, both through the exchange of ideas as through joint actions.
Looking ahead, it was confirmed that next year's meeting will be hosted by the CEI-Executive Secretariat in Trieste, Italy.
