COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the revised Action Plan of the EU Macro-Regional Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region
Date: 2025-05-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Subjects: Adriatic Sea, EU strategy, Ionian Sea, Mediterranean region (EU), economic and social cohesion, environmental policy, regional cooperation, tourism, transport policy, twin transition

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.5.2025  COM(2025) 191 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the revised Action Plan of the EU Macro-Regional Strategy for   the Adriatic and Ionian Region {SWD(2025) 114 final}  
 
 
Table of Contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 2 

2.  ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY ................................................................................. 3 

3.  THE REVISED ACTION PLAN ................................................................................................. 4 

4.  THE PILLARS .............................................................................................................................. 5 

5.  HORIZONTAL TOPICS ............................................................................................................. 7 

6.  CROSS-CUTTING TOPICS ....................................................................................................... 8 

7. 

IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY ........................................................................................ 9 

8.  CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 10 

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1.  INTRODUCTION  

Between 2009 and 2015, the European Council endorsed the creation of four European Union 
macro-regional strategies. By requiring countries to pool resources and take a cross-sectoral 
and multi-level governance approach to cooperation, the strategies tackle issues that no single 
country  can  effectively  address  alone.  All  the  macro-regional  strategies  deliver  results  that 
support the green, digital and fair transitions, regional development and growth. The strategies 
have  operated  successfully  for  over  a  decade.  The  macro-regional  concept  is  attractive  and 
receives  significant  attention  from  public,  private,  academic  and  civil  society  stakeholders 
across Europe.  

The European Council endorsed the creation of the European Union macro-regional strategy 
for the Adriatic and Ionian region (hereafter ‘the Strategy’) in 2014. It was the third of four 
strategies  to  be  created.  The  region  is  home  to  over  70  million  inhabitants  and  covers  10 
countries: four EU Member States (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia), five candidate countries 
(Albania,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Montenegro,  North  Macedonia,  Serbia)  and  one  third 
country (San Marino). The 10 countries participate on an equal basis and cooperate on a range 
of issues that can only be tackled together, for the benefit of each country and the whole region.  

This Strategy is unique in that it is the only macro-regional strategy in which EU candidate 
countries  outnumber  participating  Member  States.  It  is  also  one  of  the  most  challenging  in 
terms of the major socio-economic differences across the region. The participating countries 
share  the  need  to  tackle  challenges  affecting  the  region  in  a  cross-border  and  transnational 
manner: the consequences of climate change, marine litter and waste do not stop at a border. 
Moreover,  the  region  can  prosper  from  coordinated  and  deeper  cooperation  between  the 
countries, for example in transport, energy and sustainable tourism matters. Social disparities 
can also  be better  tackled by taking  a consistent  regional approach.  By drawing on  support 
under this Strategy, the Western Balkan countries benefit from deeper cooperation in five core 
areas, helping them along the path towards EU integration, for example in achieving the climate 
neutrality goal for 2050 set in the European Green Deal. 

The  Adriatic-Ionian  region  has  a  rich  historical  and  cultural  heritage,  abundant  natural 
resources  and  a  high  level  of  biodiversity.  It  has  significant  potential  to develop  renewable 
energy resources and quality food production. But the region also faces numerous challenges. 
Climate change has major consequences for the area. According to the analysis carried out for 
the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, the region will have to endure a rise in temperature 
of up to 4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century1. Wildfires  and drought already cause 
significant  challenges  every  year.  The  transport  and  energy  systems  are  fragmented,  often 
outdated and many areas are still not well connected. There is a need to accelerate the green 
transition. Sustainable fisheries and the aquaculture sector in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas need 
to be developed and overfishing prevented. Mass tourism in some parts of the region is leaving 
a negative footprint, illustrating the need for a joint, coordinated and stronger degree of tourism 
management. 

Integrating the Western Balkan candidate countries into the European Union is a top priority 
of the EU. Similarly, for the candidate countries participating in the Strategy, accession to the 
EU is a high priority2. Nevertheless, the accession process has proceeded relatively slowly. The 

1   Guidelines for the Implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans SWD(2020)223 of 6 

October 2020 eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020SC0223  

2   Standard Eurobarometer 99 – Spring 2023. 

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low level of convergence is a major problem for the Western Balkan region; its gross domestic 
product per head is currently around 35% of the average in the EU. This means there is a lack 
of funds for the accession process and related reforms, and gives rise to large-scale outward 
migration and the problem of depopulation3.  

The last decade has seen multiple crises, with the start of Russia's war of aggression against 
Ukraine leading to a new, more unstable geopolitical situation. The general objective of the 
Strategy during this decade has been to promote economic and social prosperity and growth in 
the region  by improving  its attractiveness, competitiveness  and connectivity. This objective 
remains valid. However, the Strategy needs to be updated to reflect recent developments and 
provide better solutions to the demanding and multi-faceted challenges the region faces.   

This Communication looks at the revised action plan drawn up under the Strategy. It explains 
the background, the rationale, what has changed and how the Strategy will respond to new and 
future changes. 

2.  ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY 

Delivering results on key EU priorities 

From  a  standing  start,  the  Strategy  has  delivered  a  series  of  positive  and  successful  results 
across a number of topics. It has helped increase regional cooperation and networking under 
the four initial thematic pillars. The Strategy has been successful in delivering results in the 
region on EU priorities for 2019-2024. In particular, it has achieved results on the European 
Green Deal, the European Green Agenda for the Western Balkans  and the European digital 
strategy  by  providing  a  cross-sectoral  approach  based  on  multi-level  governance  and  broad 
stakeholder involvement. It has also helped improve the integrated and sustainable governance 
of the maritime space and coastal areas of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. In addition, the Strategy 
has tailored key EU initiatives to the specific needs of and situation in the region.  

The Strategy has also played a key role in supporting the Western Balkan countries which have 
benefited from their role as equal partners in the Strategy. The Strategy has helped put in place 
a comprehensive multilateral governance system  and  brought greater stability to the region, 
nurturing peaceful political and administrative dialogue on issues of common interest to the 
participating countries. 

Tangible results for citizens 

The impact of the Strategy for citizens can be demonstrated most effectively through examples 
of specific projects that were identified, delivered and implemented under the Strategy. 

The Strategy has improved sea basin governance in the region by building administrative and 
institutional capacity in maritime governance. The ‘PoWER’ project (Ports as driving Wheels 
of Entrepreneurial Realm) supported the development of ports as innovation hubs to tap their 
business potential and boost collaboration among key players in the innovation supply chain.  

The Strategy has also diversified the region’s tourism products and services while tackling the 
seasonal nature of demand for inland, coastal and maritime tourism. In this context, the project 
‘ADRIONCYCLETOUR’ (Adriatic-Ionian cycle route for sustainable tourism) aims to create 

3   A new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, November 2023, European Commission. 

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a coastal cycling route along the entire coast of all partner countries, from Italy to Greece. It 
promotes  the  region's  historical,  artistic,  cultural  and  natural  heritage  and  focuses  on  eco-
tourism. This  project  is a successful  example of the  ‘embedding process’, which means  the 
ideas and priorities of the Strategy are embedded in several funding programmes in the region, 
with different programmes providing funding for different sections of the project4.  

The embedding process 

This  embedding  process  is  vital  to  the  success  of  the  Strategy,  because,  as  with  all  macro-
regional  strategies,  it  is  without  its  own  budget.  Implementation  depends  on  the  ability  to 
mobilise funds from other related sources (EU, national, regional and private sector) and on 
the well-coordinated use of funding available at different levels.  

The main sources of funding to implement the Strategy are the EU's cohesion policy funds, the 
Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, the investment and reforms in the Growth Plan for 
the Western Balkans and the European Investment Plan for the Western Balkans countries.  

However, all sources of funding can be investigated and developed. For example, the project 
NAMIRS (North Adriatic Maritime Incident Response System), which consists of cooperation 
mechanisms and measures to achieve a high level of preparedness and response to emergency 
marine pollution in Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy was developed into a feasible project under the 
Strategy, and has since been funded via the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. 

Building a greater sense of ownership  

The  process  to  revise  the  action  plan  highlighted  the  need  for  a  more  strategic  vision  to 
implement the Strategy and a more systematic approach to improve ownership and awareness 
of the Strategy among all participating countries. This point was also highlighted in a report on 
cooperation in the Adriatic-Ionian region from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and 
Development in 20195. 

3.  THE REVISED ACTION PLAN 

Over the last decade, a number of new challenges have emerged or have risen up the political 
agenda, including EU enlargement, climate change and digitalisation.  

Since 2022, participating countries, in close cooperation with the Commission, have worked 
together in a multi-level, integrated and coordinated manner to produce a revised action plan 
that takes account of the geopolitical and policy developments since 2014. The revised action 
plan also reflects the lessons learned in implementing the Strategy over the years and includes 
changes in the governance and management of the Strategy brought in over the last decade. 

This  work  has  led  to  a  revised  action  plan  that  more  accurately  reflects  the  needs  and 
opportunities  of  the  region  and  provides  a  more  robust  framework  which  will  enable  the 
participating countries to work more effectively together in achieving the aims of the Strategy. 

4   Three separate cohesion policy programmes have funded sections of this project: Interreg Italy-Slovenia, 

Interreg Italy-Croatia, and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia regional programme. 

5   ‘Territorial wide area cooperation in the Adriatic-Ionian region: Outlook on future Transnational Cooperation 

in the Region’, OECD, 2019. 

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What is new? 

a) The first, highly visible change in the revised action plan is a new fifth pillar in addition 
to the original four. This social pillar will focus on action to boost youth engagement, skills 
and  employment,  improve  cooperation  and  coordination  on  equal  and  inclusive  working 
conditions, and promote social innovation. It will also seek closer alignment with EU social 
policies. 

b) The previous action plan contained two cross-cutting topics. The revised action plan has a 
new structure with three horizontal and three cross-cutting topics. Horizontal topics are of 
such importance that they should be integrated into all pillars. Cross-cutting topics are to be 
integrated where relevant and possible in the different pillars. 

The three horizontal topics are: enlargement; capacity building; and research, innovation and 
development (see more details in Section 5 below).  

The  three  cross-cutting  topics  are:  the  circular  economy,  green  rural  development  and 
digitalisation (see more details in Section 6 below). 

c) A new governing structure has been created to support effective implementation. The new 
structure will help improve institutional and effective multi-level governance in the region. It 
will be essential to secure the active participation of regions, local authorities, academia, young 
people, business and civil society organisations in the Strategy.  

The governance system includes for the first time a Facility Point, which has already been set 
up and is providing technical and content-related assistance to implement the action plan. The 
Facility Point will continuously monitor and report on overall Strategy performance against the 
objectives and the output and result targets. 

4.  THE PILLARS  

The following five pillars form the core of the revised action plan. They present the most urgent 
challenges  and  topics  that  stand  to  gain  the  most  from  cross-sectoral  and  cross-regional 
cooperation among countries across the region. With this focus, the revised action plan invites 
the partner countries to work towards greater policy coherence across all geographical levels. 

Blue sustainable economy 

Under Pillar 1, the Strategy aims to develop blue and green technologies for sustainable seafood 
production and consumption, as well as maritime and marine governance and services to bring 
prosperity  to  coastal  communities  and  protect  the  aquatic  inland,  marine  and  maritime 
environment. 

Action under Pillar 1 also aims to promote the EU Pact for Skills and Institutional partnerships, 
to  strengthen  the  regional  market  by  stepping  up  cooperation  in  the  region,  and  to  boost 
stakeholder  involvement  and  business  links.  Building  innovation  ecosystems  that  promote 
research and innovation in green and blue technologies in the region will boost socio-economic 
competitiveness in related sectors, both in coastal and inland areas.  

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Action  under  this  pillar  will  also  tackle  need  to  prevent  overfishing.  Effective  and  better 
fisheries management at sea and in relevant inland waters requires close coordination between 
participating  countries.  Coordinated  action  is  needed  to  restore  and  protect  freshwater 
resources  to  ensure  access  to  healthy  and  sustainable  freshwater.  At  present,  high  levels  of 
pollution in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas threatens the marine environment in form of litter, 
microplastics, pesticides and antibiotics.  

Transport and energy 

Transport connections are key to economic development. The transport system in the region is 
disintegrated  and  infrastructure  often  outdated,  which  hampers  economic  development  and 
hinders public use. Railway transport in the region lags behind the EU average both in terms 
of infrastructure and in freight and passenger volumes. In many participating countries, and 
especially in the Western Balkans, the quality of rail systems is poor and the roads unsafe.  

Therefore,  the  revised  action  plan  aims  to  increase  rail  and  road  transport  capacity  and 
quality by connecting links, easing bottlenecks and supporting comprehensive rail reforms. 
The Strategy will support the uptake of sustainable urban mobility plan initiatives, especially 
in urban nodes with strong urbanisation trends. It will improve the safety and security of port 
operations and develop a competitive, macro-regional interconnected port system.  

The  revised  action  plan  also  aims  to  foster  the  security  of  energy  supply  and  boost  the 
competitiveness  of  energy  delivery.  The  ultimate  objective  is  to  develop  well-functioning 
electricity  markets,  achieved  by  removing  regulated  retail  electricity  prices,  easing  network 
congestion, integrating renewable energy sources into power grids and enabling unhampered 
cross-border  exchanges  of  power.  Today,  unavailable  grid  capacity  to  dispatch  fluctuating 
energy from renewable sources is a factor limiting the shift to renewable energy. Bottlenecks 
in the uptake and distribution of solar and wind power need to be assessed and tackled. The 
decarbonisation of energy systems and the transition towards net-zero carbon economies will 
entail  large-scale  deployment  of  renewable  energy  sources  and  other  low-carbon  energy 
options, greater energy efficiency and increased electrification.  

Environment 

The  Adriatic-Ionian  region  is  increasingly  affected  by  climate  change,  including  rising  sea 
levels,  erosion,  marine  encroachment,  saltwater  infiltration,  water  shortages,  droughts  and 
biodiversity loss.  

Maritime transport leaves a significant footprint on the marine environment and high-traffic 
maritime  pathways  are  accident  hotspots  in  terms  of  oil  discharges.  Overfishing  is  another 
major issue, and pollution from land sources is a significant marine challenge caused by the 
discharge of contaminants into the sea. Effective waste management is crucial, especially along 
coastlines, underscoring the importance of taking a holistic approach to tackle this problem.  

Marine and coastal biodiversity in the region need protection. The focus of action under this 
pillar  will  include  better  management  of  biodiversity  and  greater  coordination  on  maritime 
spatial planning and integrated coastal management. Environmental problems deriving from 
ballast water and other releases at sea from inland and transition waters need to be tackled. The 
management  of  nature  resources  in  protected  areas  will  be  improved  by  stepping  up  cross-
border cooperation.  

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Sustainable tourism 

The region is heavily dependent on tourism. There is a clear need for better management of 
tourism streams to smooth demand across seasons, avoid unemployment in low seasons and 
the negative impact of overtourism on nature and the local environment in high seasons.  

Action  is  needed  to  raise  the  level  of  knowledge  of  sustainable  and  smart  destination 
management among small-scale tourism businesses and tourism stakeholders. Support will be 
provided to draw up national guidelines on training and education in the tourism sectors and to 
effectively implement the EU Pact of Skills in the tourism ecosystem.   

There will also be support to boost rural tourism, organic products and to promote the concept 
of the Mediterranean diet. There is high potential to forget closer links between sustainable 
tourism  and  the  food  sector,  leading  to  competitive  advantages  that  boost  the  region’s 
economic, environmental and social sustainability. More broadly, the action plan will boost the 
competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the food and farming sector. 

Greater social cohesion 

The  Adriatic-Ionian  region  faces  significant  social  and  economic  challenges,  including  an 
ageing population, labour market imbalances, social exclusion, the inflow of refugees, pockets 
of poverty and depopulation.   

Action under the new fifth pillar aims to align the region with EU strategies and policies to 
improve  social  cohesion  and  help  boost  youth  engagement,  skills,  equal  opportunities  and 
access to the labour market. The Strategy will take an intersectional approach in those fields 
and will develop measures that empower young people and increase their capacity to participate 
actively in social and economic life. It will promote an equal and inclusive labour environment 
and develop and harmonise skills policies to boost job prospects. It will build on the concept 
of social innovation and the social economy by stepping up cooperation and knowledge transfer 
in this field, promoting an Adriatic-Ionian ecosystem conducive to social innovation.  

5.  HORIZONTAL TOPICS 

Reflecting the integrated and coordinated nature of the issues tackled by the Strategy, all five 
pillars must cover the following three horizontal topics. 

Enlargement 

Rapid changes in the geopolitical situation in recent years following Russia's war of aggression 
against Ukraine has rewritten the political and economic framework for the region. Enlarging 
the  European  Union  has  become  a  top  EU  priority.  This  Strategy  will  support  candidate 
countries in accelerating the accession process and in aligning more closely with the EU.  

All pillars of the Strategy will factor in the enlargement dimension and will contribute to the 
accession process by pursuing related actions. This will include supporting reforms, producing 
plans and creating projects together in different areas, all leading to a better alignment with EU 
policies and faster integration of the candidate countries into the EU. 

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Capacity building 

Robust and efficient administrative capacity is a pre-condition both for a successful governance 
process and for rolling out the measures planned under the macro-regional strategy. The multi-
country,  multi-partner  nature  of  such  work  requires  strong  coordination  mechanisms  across 
and between the participating countries. In parallel, capacity building is an integral part of the 
enlargement process: candidate countries need to develop their own administrative capacities 
in order to be ready and able to handle the requirements of EU membership. 

Consequently,  all  pillars  in  the  Strategy  will  contribute,  where  relevant,  to  action  to  build 
capacity and improve the quality of governance in the region.  

Research, innovation and development 

Research  and  innovation  are  indispensable  priorities  for  a  country,  and  its  wider  region,  to 
develop and thrive. The ability to convert innovative solutions into goods and services that can 
be sold on the market is also indispensable. The revised action plan will help align science and 
research in the candidate countries with the European Research Area and by so doing, support 
innovative SMEs and start-ups across the region. 

All pillars will, where applicable, contribute to strengthening research and innovation in the 
region. The actions will be linked to smart specialisation strategies that countries and regions 
have put in place.  

6.  CROSS-CUTTING TOPICS  

During the process of revising the action plan, a number of topics were identified that could 
have formed thematic pillars in their own right. However, upon examination, these topics were 
found  to  overlap  with  several  other  pillars.  To  avoid  creating  too  many  pillars,  these  three 
additional topics were designed as cross-cutting topics for action under several pillars.  

Circular economy 

It is not possible to achieve climate neutrality without transitioning to a fully circular economy. 
The circular economy model, which involves maintaining value and resources in the economy 
for as long as possible and minimising waste generation, reduces pressure on natural resources 
and supports sustainable growth.  

The revised action plan envisages implementing circular economy approaches across a wide 
range  of  sectors.  This  will  notably  come  under  Pillar  1,  with  its  focus  on  green  &  blue 
technology  to  reduce  human  impact  on  the  environment  and  waters,  Pillar  2,  focusing  on 
renewable energy, and Pillar 4, focusing on sustainable and green tourism. 

Green rural development 

A significant swathe of the Adriatic-Ionian region is rural. Identifying green rural development 
as a cross-cutting issue emphasises the importance and challenge of balancing the ‘blue’ and 
‘green’ development of the wider region.  

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Action will be consistent with the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas6 and the EU Rural 
Pact, aiming to advance towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 
2040. It will cover demography challenges in particular and support citizens’ effective right to 
stay  in  the  place  they  call  home.  The  revised  action  plan  includes  links  to  green  rural 
development  under  all  five  pillars  to  various  degrees,  with  emphasis  on  supporting  local 
fisheries communities, sustainable energy production, mobility, environment and agricultural 
practices, and preventing brain drain. It is also reflected under the horizontal topics in relation 
with better living conditions and connectivity. 

Digitalisation 

The  digital  transition  is  essential  to  the  competitiveness  of  companies  in  the  region.  The 
Strategy will support action on digitalisation in all sectors of the economy, ensuring the benefits 
are made available to all citizens and stakeholders. A priority under the Strategy is to create a 
network of digital innovation hubs in the region. After that, the focus will shift to supporting 
the establishment of stronger connections within the network. Digitalisation affects all sectors; 
action on this front will therefore be integrated in all pillars of the Strategy  

7.  IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY 

The  Strategy’s  governance  has  a 
three-level  structure:  political,  coordination  and 
implementation. Across these levels, a number of challenges for the governance process still 
reveal room for improvement. Limited institutional involvement, a high level of staff turnover 
and  limited  results  from  the  embedding  process  are  all  factors  that  have  undermined  the 
effectiveness of the Strategy in the past. 

In this  context, the  participating  countries  and key stakeholders have made  major  efforts to 
build and ensure a more effective and efficient governance for the Strategy at all levels.  

To this end, strengthening political commitment is essential: the national, regional and local 
authorities of the countries involved should provide more strategic leadership to bridge the gap 
between ambitious political commitments and the ability of administrations to meet them. 

The  governance  of  the  revised  Strategy  will  also  strengthen  management  capacity  at  the 
strategic  level,  increasing  effective  decision-making  and  consolidating  a  results-based 
approach. Furthermore, it will empower stakeholders, build a greater sense of ownership and 
encourage  them  to  network,  cooperate  and  participate  in  implementing  and  developing  the 
Strategy. Clear links to policymaking at national and regional level will serve to increase the 
involvement of line ministries, other public authorities and civil society and to solidify political 
support and implementation in the Strategy’s participating countries. 

Political, coordination and implementation levels of governance 

The political level of governance is represented by Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of 
European  Integration  where  applicable,  and  Ministers  or  authorities  in  charge  of  cohesion 
policy. They provide political and strategic direction for the Strategy. In the future, regional 
authorities are also expected to play an important role in these discussions.  

6   COM(2021) 345 final. 

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The  annual  rotating  presidency  plays  a  well-established  role,  as  participating  countries 
recognise its importance in driving the strategic direction of the Strategy. A ‘trio presidency’ 
system  (previous,  current  and  future  presidency)  has  also  been  put  in  place  to  increase 
coordination and continuity between presidencies. 

National coordinators carry out coordination of the Strategy within and between participating 
countries. Jointly, they act as an interface between the political level – to which they report on 
implementation and submit proposals − and the implementation level – to which they provide 
strategic  guidance.  Many  participating  countries  have  put  in  place  multi-level  coordination 
mechanisms at national level, which are producing encouraging results. However, there is a 
need for greater staff continuity and for sufficient administrative support.  

The role of the key implementers (pillar coordinators and thematic steering group members) 
has grown noticeably, as these roles drive the day-to-day implementation of the action plan.  

The  multi-level  and  multi-stakeholder  governance  system  of  the  Strategy  involves  a  wide 
cross-section  of  transnational,  cross-sectoral  and  cross-regional  actors  in  different  types  of 
activities. The revised action plan will involve new stakeholders and create new dynamics and 
new ways of cooperating.  

Civil  society  organisations  play  a  vital  role  in  contributing  to  better  decision-making,  by 
bringing local and regional communities closer to the Strategy. In this context, the forum of 
the Adriatic and Ionian Chambers of Commerce, the Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities and 
the Association of the Universities of the Adriatic and Ionian region already represent networks 
of over 120 bodies and institutions. These organisations should be involved more closely in the 
Strategy. More broadly, further work is needed to mobilise civil society and local communities 
around the shared goals.  

Following  the  establishment  of  the  Youth  Council,  the  revised  action  plan  recognises  the 
importance of bringing young people into the governance process too. It is important to reach 
out  to  young  people  to  empower  and  enable  them  to  carry  out  activities  in  line  with  their 
interests and concerns.  

8.  CONCLUSION  

After 10 years of positive progress, it is time for the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian 
region to change gear and adapt to the new geopolitical and policy challenges facing the region 
today. With a galvanised governance structure, a revised and expanded list of priority topics, 
and a stronger and more effective monitoring and evaluation system, the Strategy and its 10 
participating countries are ready to begin a new era of macro-regional cooperation.   

The  Commission  will  continue  to  provide  all  necessary  support  and  advice  to  the  Strategy 
partners. It will invest time and resources to assist the region in meeting the overall objectives 
successfully. At the same time, the Commission underlines that the ultimate responsibility for 
implementing the Strategy rests with the participating countries and emphasises the importance 
of high-level, long-term political commitment from all countries involved to ensure that the 
Strategy meets its overall objectives.   

The  revised  action  plan  offers  solutions  and  provides  new  ideas  on  how  to  meet  the 
challenges and opportunities that the Adriatic-Ionian region faces. The Commission strongly 
supports these endeavours and the revised action plan. 

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