As rapporteur for the EU strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian region (EUSAIR), my aim is to promote sustainable economic and social prosperity in the region and to harmonise development policies and strategies by creating greater synergies among countries involved in the strategy.
In its current form, the strategy concerns eight countries: four EU member states (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia) and four candidate or future potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia).
The EUSAIR region is confronting several challenges. Examples include: high unemployment rates; shortcomings in transport infrastructure; inadequate electricity grid interconnectivity; unsustainable fisheries and marine pollution. These issues will be tackled more successfully together, as opposed to on a purely national or local level.
"There is often more money than ideas or political will to implement large infrastructure projects" - Ivan Jakovčić
However, there are some promising opportunities to capitalise on, including in the areas of maritime, coastal and cruise tourism, sustainable seafood production and the potential for improved land-sea connectivity to increase the competitiveness of hinterland economies.
The report I am working on is a continuation of an initiative which I participated 10 years ago. This pioneering venture, something I consider to be somewhat of a political adventure, led to the 2010 proposal from the committee of the regions to launch the idea for an EU Adriatic-Ionian strategy.
A high-level conference last November in Brussels finally saw the launch of the EUSAIR strategy. EUSAIR can build on the lessons learnt from the other two current macro-regional strategies: the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region and the EU strategy for the Danube region.
My goal is to prepare a report which will include specific infrastructure projects throughout the region. The most important project is the Adriatic-Ionian corridor that will include a highway and other forms of infrastructural connectivity. Among the projects will be an important road link between Ancona and Bari in Italy.
One of the main objectives of the strategy is to contribute to EU integration in participating western Balkan countries. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already said no further enlargement will take place over the next five years but this time should be used to prepare all the western Balkan countries for accession to the EU.
There are great expectations in these countries and I am confident that I will succeed in creating a report that will be the foundation of a new platform of cooperation in the Balkans and the Apennines.
It should be emphasised that there is often more money than ideas or political will to implement large infrastructure projects. In discussions in the parliament, I will highlight "urban regeneration" of the cities in this macro-region. In many towns in this area there are many industrial plants and abandoned military installations which could be used as generators of development.
My region of Istria has in the past 25 years become a real bridge between the Apennines and the Balkans. Cooperation on projects in the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region will further strengthen this role and consolidate the position of Istria.