Ministerial Meeting of the Greek Chairmanship of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII), in Ioannina

Within the framework of their co-chairmanship, with the European Commission, of EUSAIR, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy & Development are co-hosting the 2nd Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Macro-region (EUSAIR) on 11 and 12 May, in Ioannina.

Greece will be represented by Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos and Alternate Economy & Development Minister Alexis Charitsis, who are also co-chairing the EUSAIR Ministerial Meeting.

The Forum will focus on "Blue Growth", and during the proceedings there will be panel discussions on the four pillars of the Strategy: Blue Growth, Transport and Energy, Environmental Quality, and Sustainable Tourism.

In tandem, the Ministerial Meeting of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative – a political initiative aimed at identifying common problems of the region's countries and finding joint solutions to those problems – will be held under the chairmanship of Alternate Foreign Minister G. Katrougalos.

The eight countries cooperating in EUSAIR/AII – Greece, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia – will be represented by their Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs, as well as by Ministers responsible for the European Union Funds. The Union will be represented by the Director of the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, responsible for Macro-regional Strategies, Lena Andersson Pench.

The Forum will culminate in the handing on of the EUSAIR/AII chairmanship to Italy by Alternate Economy and Development Minster Alexis Charitsis.