For a prosperous and integrated Adriatic and Ionian Region.
Date: 2014-09-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy
Subjects: Adriatic Sea, EU environmental policy, EU regional policy, Ionian Sea, Mediterranean region (EU), economic growth, equitable tourism, quality of the environment, regional development, sustainable development

FOR A PROSPEROUS 
AND INTEGRATED 
ADRIATIC AND  
IONIAN REGION

Regional and 
Urban Policy

JUNE 2014

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Table of contents

1  Why is an EU strategy needed for the Adriatic and Ionian Region?

2  What is it about? What are the aims?

  2.1  Blue Growth 

  2.2  Connecting the Region 

  2.3  Environmental quality 

  2.4  Sustainable tourism 

3  What’s next?  Making it work on the ground

Further information

 
 
1 
Why is an EU strategy needed  
for the Adriatic and Ionian Region?

❛We, the Members of the Adriatic 

Ionian Council (AIC), are convinced that 
the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and 
Ionian Region (EUSAIR) will give new 
impetus for cooperation and invest-
ment to the benefit of all involved 
and to the peace and security of the 
entire area.❜

XVII Meeting of the Adriatic Ionian Council 
Brussels Declaration
13 May 2014, Brussels

For a prosperous and integrated 
Adriatic and Ionian Region

Home to more than 70 million people and key for 
Europe’s geographical continuity, the Adriatic and 
Ionian Region is a functional area primarily de-
fined by the Adriatic and Ionian Sea basins. 

The EU’s Strategy builds on the Adriatic-Ionian 
Initiative (1), which was launched in 2000 and 
involved eight countries: four EU Member 
States (Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia) 
and four non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia 
and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia).

In order to address a number of pressing so-
cio-economic and environmental challenges 
facing the Region, the European Council of 13-
14 December 2012 requested the European 

2

Commission to present a new macroregional 
strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region be-
fore the end of 2014.

head between the different countries also vary 
significantly. 

Building on previous strategies for the Baltic  
Sea Region (EUSBSR) and the Danube Region 
(EUSDR),  the  Commission  is  now  adopting 
a Communication and Action Plan for the EU 
Strategy focusing on the Adriatic and Ionian  
Region (EUSAIR). This new Strategy also incorpo-
rates the Maritime Strategy for the Adriatic and 
Ionian Seas, adopted by the Commission on 
30 November 2012.

The EUSAIR will promote economic growth and 
prosperity in the Region by improving its attrac-
tiveness, competitiveness and connectivity. 
It also aims at protecting the sea, coastal and 
inland environment and ecosystems. 

There are substantial differences in road, rail 
and maritime infrastructure between countries. 
There is also an urgent need for more invest-
ment in energy networks to ensure a secure 
and efficient supply across the Region. 

Ecosystems are under intense pressure due to 
the ever-increasing human use of marine and 
coastal space. Over-fishing, untreated waste, 
oil and gas pollution and the illegal hunting of 
migratory birds are all significant issues. 

In addition to major seismic activity, the Re-
gion is also under threat from climate change 
– flooding, drought, soil erosion and forest 
fires are all increasing realities. 

Moreover, the Strategy is expected to better 
integrate into the EU both candidate and po-
tential candidate countries across the Region.  

In terms of economic potential, the tourism 
sector is not optimally managed or exploited, 
and could benefit from better coordination. 

Challenges and opportunities  
facing the Region

What we see today are very noticeable so-
cio-economic differences across the countries 
in the Region. While some regions enjoy low 
unemployment; others have jobless rates of 
over 30 %. Gross domestic product (GDP) per 

In addition, the Region’s administrations and 
institutions may benefit from opportunities 
for modernisation and better linkages, among 
others, in order to combat illegal migration and 
cross-border crime.

Combined with other actions, the objective is to 
create further opportunities for smart, sustainable 

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Stakeholder Conference on the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, Athens, 6-7 February 2014

and inclusive growth right across the Adriatic and 
Ionian Region. For example, a big opportunity ex-
ists for the Blue Economy to prosper and change 
the face of the Region. 

In relation to mobility, the sea basin provides 
a natural waterway penetrating deep into the EU. 
There is thus a great potential for improved land-
sea connectivity and intermodal transportation. 

An opportunity also exists for investment in 
energy improvements, such as smart grids and 
to increase energy efficiency and the use of 
renewables. 

The area’s outstanding natural beauty and rich 
cultural, historic and archaeological heritage 
also has obvious potential for sustainable,  
responsible and diversified tourism.

A concrete Action Plan

In a 2013 report (2), the Commission stressed 
that new macro-regional strategies should 
focus on a limited number of well-defined ob-
jectives and that these objectives should be im-
plemented through a clear Action Plan. In short, 
the aim is to go from ‘words to actions’ by iden-
tifying concrete priorities for the macro-region 
making the best use of existing institutions,  
legislation and funds for a quick turnaround. 

The EUSAIR is built on four thematic pillars:
 • Blue Growth. 
 • Connecting the Region. 
 • Environmental quality. 
 • Sustainable tourism. 

Moreover, ‘Strengthening R&D, Innovation and 
SMEs’ and ‘Capacity building, including com-
munication’ are two cross-cutting aspects 
across each pillar. 

1  
 The intergovernmental Adriatic-Ionian Initiative 
was initiated in 2000 with the aim of streng thening 
regional cooperation, to promote political and 
economic stability thus creating a solid base for 
the European integration process.

2
Report concerning the added value of macro-regional 
strategies, COM (2013) 468 final of 27.06.2013.

3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
2 
What is it about? What are the aims?

2.1  
Blue Growth

Blue Growth is a long term strategy for unlocking 
the potential of Europe’s seas and coastal areas. 
It covers such topics as blue energy, aquaculture, 
maritime, coastal and cruise tourism, maritime 
mineral resources and blue biotechnology.

The Blue Growth pillar will promote innovative 
maritime and marine growth in the Adriatic 
and Ionian Region. This it will do by promoting 
sustainable economic development and job 
creation as well as business opportunities.

The Blue Growth pillar will focus on three topics: 
 • Blue technologies.
 • Fisheries and aquaculture.
 • Maritime and marine governance  

and services.

Blue technologies

as green sea mobility, deep sea resources, bio- 
security and bio-technologies will be developed.

Macro-regional clusters in promising sectors 
such as green shipbuilding and new materials 
will also be established, encouraging the inter-
nationalisation of small and medium-sized en-
terprises (SMEs). The idea of ‘brain circulation’ 
that sees researchers move between institutes, 
universities and companies will become a reali-
ty. Finally, start-ups will be granted easier access 
to finance and promotion. 

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Research platform marine robotics
To strengthen unmanned marine 
vehicles for underwater and seabed 
operations based on existing cooper-
ation among stakeholders in the 
Region. This project can also contrib-
ute in developing platforms for 
macro-regional quadruple helix 
networks, linking research, business, 
public sector stakeholders and the 
civil society.

The Adriatic and Ionian Region is not currently ex-
ploiting the advantages from blue technologies 
that could be gained from better collaboration. 

Fisheries and aquaculture

In order to boost blue technologies in the Region, 
macro-regional research and development 
(R&D), and innovation platforms in areas such  

Fisheries and aquaculture are both important 
sectors for blue growth in the Adriatic and  
Ionian Region. 

4

As regards fishing, the aim is to promote sus-
tainable and responsible fishing practices that 
will provide a steady stream of income for 
coastal areas. This will be achieved by:
 • improving fisheries data collection,  

monitoring and control;

 • adopting fisheries management plans  

at sea basin level;

 • harmonising standards across the Region;
 • improving skills and capacity to comply 

with EU rules and standards;

 • increasing the added value of local 

seafood value chains;

 • developing market intelligence and more 
transparent marketing and processing.

Currently, a number of barriers prevent the de-
velopment of the full potential of aquaculture 
in the Adriatic-Ionian Sea basin. They include:
 • limited access to space and licensing; 
 • industry fragmentation; 
 • limited access to seed capital or loans  

for innovation; 

 • time-consuming administrative procedures 

and red tape.

The Strategy proposes to promote sustainable 
aquaculture through stakeholder involvement, 
introducing simplified procedures, as well as 
product diversification. 

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Fish stock monitoring platform
Performing regular stock assess-
ments of fish in the Adriatic and 
Ionian Sea and evaluating the main 
elements for sustainable fisheries 
management.

Maritime and marine governance 
and services

The countries in the Adriatic and Ionian Region 
have differing administrative and political 
structures, government and governance sys-
tems. Training and better coordination of plan-
ning activities is needed for better marine and 
maritime governance and services.

This will be achieved through data sharing, 
joint planning and the coordinated manage-
ment of existing resources.

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Coordinated Maritime  
Spatial Planning
Ensuring a coherent legal framework 
for economic activities at sea by 
building on the work of the ADRIPLAN 
project and placing all waters under 
national jurisdictions through the 
process of Maritime Spatial Planning. 

❛As our Blue Growth strategy 

highlights, seas and oceans have  
the potential to generate huge 
economic growth and much needed 
jobs. The Adriatic Ionian nations 
have already shown that they share 
the will to address the Region’s 
challenges together.❜

Maria Damanaki,  
European Commissioner  
for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

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Actions under this topic include:
 • Developing the Western Balkans compre-
hensive network including rail, inland 
waterways, nodes and hubs and prepare 
their integration into the Trans-European 
Transport Network (TEN-T).

 • Improving the accessibility of coastal 

areas and islands by optimising the use of 
freight and passenger routes and involving 
private and public stakeholders.

 • Developing motorways of the sea through 
improved road and rail infrastructure that 
links the port with the hinterland, improved 
infrastructure and ITS solutions.

 • Providing better air transport links within 
the Region and improving regional flight 
connections with foreign destinations.

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Improve the accessibility of  
the coastal areas and islands 
Promote cooperation between 
ship-owners, port authorities, public 
authorities, tourist operators and 
associations to improve maritime 
connections between neighbouring 
countries, islands and the mainland. 

Energy networks

 • Improving cross border electricity  

connections.

 • Building a gas ring in the Region  

to enhance security of supply and promote 
market integration.

 • Introducing a well-functioning electricity 
market by setting up a Coordinated 
Auction Office that will provide increased 
transmission capacities to the market. 

 • Regulatory measures to remove the 
barriers to cross-border investments.

The three energy policy objectives of the EU – 
competitiveness, security of supply and sus-
tainability – can only be achieved through an 
interconnected and functioning internal energy 
market. To achieve these, the following actions 
are foreseen:

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Remove barriers for  
cross-border investments 
Coordinate and align permits  
and regulations. 

❛This is Europe’s third macro- 

regional strategy, and we have learnt 
the importance of political commit-
ment and of participating countries 
focusing their efforts in the macro- 
regional approach. This will be  
key to this Strategy’s success.❜

Johannes Hahn,  
European Commissioner  
for Regional Policy 

2.2  
Connecting the Region

Fragmentation in the Adriatic and Ionian Region 
has resulted in infrastructure disparities – parti-
cularly between the EU-Member States and the 
non-EU countries. Better transport and energy 
connections are needed, and are pivotal for the 
Region’s economic and social development.

The ‘Connecting the Region’ pillar will improve 
transport and energy connectivity by:
 • strengthening maritime safety and security 

and developing a port system;

 • creating reliable transport networks and 

intermodal connections with the hinterland;

 • establishing a well-interconnected and 
well-functioning internal energy market.

To achieve these objectives, this pillar will focus 
on three topics:
 • Maritime transport.
 • Intermodal connections to the hinterland.
 • Energy networks.

Maritime transport 

The North Adriatic ports are natural gateways 
to Central and Eastern Europe and could have 
over 10 % share of the EU’s container traffic 
market by 2030, provided good railway access 
is granted to the hinterland. Boosting maritime 
transport is therefore crucial, as is the creation 
of efficient intermodal ports to integrate mar-
itime transport with rail and road.

Improving connectivity within the Region and 
between the Region and the rest of the EU 
needs a coordinated approach.

Actions under this topic include:
 • Clustering port activities and services 
throughout the Region to attract  
increased traffic. 

 • The frequent exchange of information 
between coastal countries through  
a Common Adriatic-Ionian Vessel Traffic 
Monitoring and Information System 
to improve the safety and security  
of maritime traffic in the Region. 
 • Developing ports and port terminals  

to boost maritime transport, short-sea 
shipping capacity and cross-border ferry 
connectivity. 

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Improve and harmonise traffic 
monitoring and management
Upgrade the current Adriatic Traffic 
Reporting System (ADRIREP) in order 
to reduce administration and unnec-
essary duplication of data collected 
by Vessel Traffic Management 
Information System infrastructures. 

Intermodal connections  
to the hinterland

Intermodal connections to hinterlands must be 
upgraded to cope with increased maritime 
transport of goods. Together with inland wa-
terways, road and rail provide important inter-
national connections within the Region. 

Ports of the Adriatic and Ionian seas, as well as 
railway lines and airports, are immediate entry 
points to the Region from abroad. An appropri-
ate transport approach has to take all of these 
into account, while also considering environ-
mental aspects, economic growth and social 
development.

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2.3  
Environmental quality

Environmental quality is essential for ensuring 
the economic and social well-being of the Re-
gion’s inhabitants. This pillar will address environ-
mental quality through cooperation at regional 
level. Specifically it will: 
 • ensure a good environmental and ecologi-

cal status of the marine and coastal 
environment by 2020;

 • help halt the loss of biodiversity and the 
degradation of ecosystem services in the 
EU by 2020;

 • improve waste management by reducing 
waste and nutrient flows to the sea  
and rivers. 

The focus will be on three topics for achieving 
these goals: 
 • The marine environment.
 • Pollution of the sea.
 • Transnational terrestrial habitats  

and biodiversity.

The marine environment 

Threats to coastal and marine biodiversity

The Adriatic and Ionian Seas are home to almost 
half of all the recorded marine species found in 
the Mediterranean Sea. They are however also 
subjected to intense fishing activity, aquaculture 
and coastal development, which pose a threat to 
this natural habitat. There is a general lack of in-
formation on small scale fisheries, illegal fishing 
gear is not uncommon, and monitoring and en-
forcement are insufficient.

Ecosystem-based coordination of activities is 
needed to ensure the sustainable use of re-
sources. This will be achieved by:
 • increasing marine knowledge on maritime 

spatial planning, integrated coastal 
management and implementation of the 
marine framework strategy Directive;
 • enhancing the trans-border, open-water 
network of marine protected areas;

 • exchanging best practices among manag-
ing authorities of marine protected areas;
 • implementing maritime spatial planning 
and integrated coastal management.

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Exchanging best practices among 
managing authorities of marine 
protected areas
Building on the work of the Adriatic 
Protected Areas Network (AdriaPAN), 
creating a network of managing 
authorities of Marine Protected Areas 
of the Adriatic and Ionian to exchange 
best practice and work on measures 
to improve the ecological status 
of the seas. 

Water pollution

Intense maritime transport inevitably results in 
oil spills and noise pollution. Pollution from riv-
ers is caused by insufficient waste water treat-
ment as well as excessive use of nitrates on ag-
ricultural lands. In addition to causing significant 
costs for shipping, marine litter affects human 
safety and health, as well as marine wildlife. 

Actions foreseen under this topic include:
 • coordinated investments in water and 

solid waste treatment plants;

 • joint efforts to deal with entire life cycle  

of marine litter;

 • shared planning and capacity building to 
prevent and react to oil spills and other 
occurrences; 

 • raising awareness among farmers of the 
negative impacts of excessive nitrate use.

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Implementing a life cycle  
approach to marine litter
Building on the CleanSeaNet  
project, which provides analyses  
of marine litter, cost-effective 
management measures and policy 
options for addressing the issue  
will be developed. 

Transnational terrestrial habitats 
and biodiversity

Climate change is expected to impact the nat-
ural habitats and biodiversity of the Adriatic 
and Ionian Region more severely than else-
where in the EU. The risks of climate change 
to biodiversity can be reduced by bolstering 
the resilience of ecosystems, thereby increas-
ing their ability to adapt to its effects.

Cooperation will also focus on the protection 
and preservation of terrestrial ecosystems, in 
particular transnational habitats and land-
scape elements of central importance for mi-
gratory bird species and large carnivores. 

Specific actions include:
 • developing joint management plans for 
cross-border habitats and ecosystems;
 • joint population level management plans 

for large carnivores, and awareness raising 
activities;

 • harmonisation and enforcement of 
national laws with EU legislation;

 • protection and restoration of coastal 

wetland areas and karst fields;

 • awareness raising activities on environ-
mentally friendly farming practices.

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Development of joint management 
plans for transnational terrestrial 
habitats and eco-regions
Building on the BE-NATUR project, 
developing tools for better managing 
and implementing NATURA 2000 
sites (rivers, lakes and coastal areas).

❛After years of difficult political 

and economic circumstances, the  
Adriatic-Ionian Region has brighter 
prospects. By providing an overall 
framework for policy coordination 
and territorial cooperation, the Strat-
egy will make the Region a better 
place to live, work and enjoy. It can 
act as a showcase for growth, jobs 
and ideas and as a gateway to other 
parts of the world. Joint efforts can 
prepare the Region well for the 
challenges and opportunities of the 
21st century’.❜

Communication from the Commission  
to the European Parliament,  
the Council, the European Economic  
and Social Committee and  
the Committee of the Regions  
concerning the European Union Strategy  
for the Adriatic and Ionian Region.

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2.4  
Sustainable tourism

Developing the Region’s potential in terms of 
sustainable tourism can be accelerated by of-
fering innovative and quality tourism products 
and services. Responsible tourism behaviour in-
volving all actors in the sector is also important. 

The main objectives of this pillar are to:
 • diversify the macro-region’s tourism 

products and services, and tackle the issue 
of seasonal tourism; 

 • improve quality and innovative approaches. 

To achieve these objectives the pillar will focus 
on two topics:
 • A diversified tourism offer.
 • Sustainable and responsible tourism 

management.

Diversified tourism offer 

Although tourism is already one of the fastest 
growing economic activities in the Region, its 
natural, cultural, historic and archaeological 
heritage has not yet been fully exploited.

Joint cooperation at macro-regional level will 
boost efforts to diversify tourism in a sustain-
able manner, to reduce the dependence of the 
sector on the seasonal model, and to limit its 
environmental impact. 

To achieve these goals, the following actions 
are planned:
 • Build the Adriatic-Ionian ‘brand’, and 
ensure its values are in line with the 
Region’s products and services.

 • Diversify and expand the cruise and nautical 
sectors into coastal hinterland economies.
 • Establish a R&D platform with universities, 
research centres and the business com-
munity to develop new tourist products 
and services.

 • Promote new tourist routes for walking, 

cycling and sailing, etc.

 • Embrace the Adriatic and Ionian cultural 
heritage by working together with the 
cultural sector.

 • Improve access to tourism products and 

services for senior groups, disabled people, 
low income groups, etc.

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Brand-building of the Adriatic and 
Ionian Region 
Promoting an Adriatic-Ionian ‘brand’ 
for diversified tourism products and 
services targeting global travel 
customer groups.

Sustainable and responsible  
tourism management 

Sustainable tourism is not as developed as it 
should be in the Region. Tourism activities are 
not always managed properly, which can have 
a negative impact on the coastal, marine, and 
hinterland environment. A commercial yet sus-
tainable approach needs to be developed.

Actions foreseen in this topic include:
 • creating a network of sustainable tourism 
businesses and clusters, to stimulate 
innovation and create synergies with 
complementary sectors;

 • providing funding for innovative and 

sustainable tourism start-ups, SMEs and 
university spin-offs that will bring new 
products and services to the sector;
 • promoting the Region in world markets,  

via marketing and advertising;

 • expanding the tourist season to all year-
round, by positioning the Adriatic-Ionian  
as an excellent off-season destination for 
the older generation, conferences, etc;
 • providing training in tourism entrepre-

neurial skills;

 • creating an Adriatic-Ionian Charter for 
sustainable and responsible tourism, 
targeted at those working in the sector.

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Facilitating access to finance  
for tourism start-ups 
Expanding the ‘Adriatic-Ionian 
Sustainable Tourism Financing’ to 
develop innovative financing instru-
ments to facilitate access to seed 
and venture capital. 

1
0

Cross cutting aspects

‘Strengthening R&D, Innovation and SMEs’ and 
‘Capacity Building, including communication’ 
are two cross-cutting aspects relevant to the 
pillars of Blue Growth, Connecting the Region, 
Environmental quality, and Sustainable tour-
ism. Key aspects are present in each pillar.

 • Actions under ‘fisheries and aquaculture’ 
include strengthening management, 
surveillance and monitoring skills. 

 • Actions under ‘blue technology’ and ‘fisheries 
and aquaculture’ can benefit from a stronger 
focus on research and innovation.

Connecting the Region 

In addition to these cross-cutting aspects, miti-
gating and adapting to climate change effects 
as well as managing disaster risks were also rec-
ognised as horizontal principles for all four pillars.

 • Improving the institutional and administra-
tive capacities of national and regional 
bodies responsible for transport will acceler-
ate modernisation.

Blue Growth

 • Actions under ‘maritime and marine 
governance and services’ require en-
hanced administrative and institutional 
capacities for public sector support.

 • Communication and awareness raising is 
important for active participation in the 
decision making process.

 • Effective investment in transport and 
energy networks requires innovative 
approaches, linked to up-to-date research. 

Environmental quality

 • Capacity building and communication are 

required for effective environmental action. 
 • Better research and innovation is needed for 
reliable data for baseline situations and 
hence for monitoring progress. 

 • There is also a clear need for sharing 

existing knowledge and scientific assets.

Sustainable tourism 

 • SME development, and capacity building can 
benefit private actors and public bodies, who 
also need to work together closely.

 • Good communication and awareness raising 
are essential to promote sustainable and 
responsible tourism and to help tackle 
seasonality.

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1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lombardia
Milano

Provincia
Autonoma
di Bolzano/Bozen

Bolzano

Provincia
Autonoma di Trento

Trento

Veneto

Emilia-Romagna

Bologna

Friuli-
Venezia
Giulia

Zahodna
Slovenija

Trieste

Vzhodna
Slovenija

Ljubljana

Zagreb

Kontinentalna
Hrvatska

Venezia

Bosna I
Hercegovina

Sarajevo

Ancona

Jadranska
Hrvatska

Beograd

Srbija

Marche

Perugia

Umbria

L'Aquila

Abruzzo

Roma

Molise

Campobasso

Bari

Puglia

Potenza

Basilicata

Crna
Gora

Podgorica

Tirana

Shqipëria

Kentriki
Makedonia

Thessaloniki

Dytiki
Makedonia

Kozani

Ioannina

Kerkyra

Ipeiros

Larisa

Thessalia

Lamia

Anatoliki
Makedonia,
Thraki

Komotini

Mitilini

Voreio
Aigaio

Calabria

Catanzaro

Dytiki
Ellada

Patrai

Ionia
Nisia

Sterea
Ellada

Athínai

Attiki

Tripolis

Ermoupoli

Peloponnisos

Notio
Aigaio

Kriti

Irakleio

The Adriatic 
and 
Ionian Region

Palermo

Sicilia

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3 
What’s next?  
Making it work on the ground

Aligning existing EU  
and national funding

The EUSAIR will mobilise and align existing EU 
and national funding instruments for each of 
the topics identified under the four pillars. 

In particular, the European Structural and In-
vestment Funds (ESIF) for 2014-2020, as well 
as the Instrument for Pre-accession Assis-
tance (IPA) for non-EU countries, provide sig-
nificant financial resources.

The macro-regional approach has already 
been embedded in the new Regulations for the 
programming period 2014-2020. Partnership 
Agreements and Operational Programmes for 
EU countries (Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slove-
nia) are taking the forthcoming EUSAIR into 
account. In addition, Country Strategy Papers 
for non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia and Her-
zegovina, Montenegro and Serbia) also explic-
itly refer to the Strategy. 

Other funding sources can be harnessed as 
well, increasing funding possibilities in support 
of cooperation activities throughout the mac-
ro-region. 

The Western Balkan Investment Framework 
(WBIF) provides finance and technical assis-
tance for strategic investments, particularly in 
infrastructure, energy efficiency and private 
sector development. The European Investment 
Bank (EIB) and other international financial  
institutions can also mobilise financing and 
expertise in support of suitable projects.

Funds of relevance for the specific pillars are 
also available:
 • The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 
and Horizon 2020, which targets Blue 
Growth as one of its focus areas for RTD, 
can lend key support to the implementa-
tion of actions and projects under Pillar 1. 
 • For Pillar 2, the Connecting Europe Facility 
(CEF) 2014-2020 supports the develop-
ment of high-performing, sustainable and 
efficiently interconnected trans-European 
networks in the field of transport, energy 
and digital services. 

 • As for Pillar 3, funds under the LIFE 

programme are also open to non-EU 
Member States.

 • Pillar 4 can benefit from the COSME 

programme for SMEs. 

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Better governance

Experience with existing macro-regional strat-
egies shows that good and stable governance 
mechanisms are crucial for effective imple-
mentation. 

In fact the European Commission’s Report on 
governance of May 2014 identifies two main 
needs: 
 • stronger political leadership and effective 

decision-making; 

 • greater clarity and better organisation  

for day-to-day actions. 

The Report stresses that governance must have 
both a political and operational dimension, with 
line ministries and implementing bodies setting 
strategic objectives and deciding together how 
to reach them, and then organising themselves 
to make sure the work is strictly followed up. 
This will give clearer results and greater impact. 

Further information

EU Macro-Regional Strategies:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperate/macro_region_strategy/index_en.cfm

EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperate/adriat_ionian/index_en.cfm

Stakeholder Conference on the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (Athens, 6-7 February 2014): 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/adriat_ionian/index_en.cfm 

INTERACT website:
http://www.interact-eu.net/macro_regional_strategies/macro_regional_strategies/283/14370

Adriatic and Ionian Sea Basin:
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/sea_basins/adriatic_ionian/index_en.htm

Study on the Adriatic and Ionian sea basin cooperation:
Executive summary:  
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/sites/maritimeforum/files/Exec%20sum%20Adr-Ion_31-3-2013.pdf
Full report:  
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/sites/maritimeforum/files/Report%202_21_03_2014.pdf

Brochure on Blue Growth (data by country and sea basin):
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/blue_growth/infographics

To contact the team in the European Commission Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy,  
send an email to: REGIO-EU-ADRIATIC-IONIAN-STRATEGY@ec.europa.eu

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HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS

Free publications:
•  one copy: 

via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu);

•  more than one copy or posters/maps: 

from the European Union’s representations (http://ec.europa.eu/represent_en.htm);  
from the delegations in non-EU countries (http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/index_en.htm);  
by contacting the Europe Direct service (http://europa.eu/europedirect/index_en.htm) or 
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) (*). 

(*)  The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels 

may charge you).

Priced publications:
•  via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu).

 Priced subscriptions:
•  via one of the sales agents of the Publications Office of the European Union  

(http://publications.europa.eu/others/agents/index_en.htm).

 
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ISBN 978-92-79-38364-9
doi:10.2776/82815