Large participation in the seminar "Financing a SMART ADRIAtic BLUE GROWTH as a key cohesion driver" organised by Puglia Region on 27 October in Brussels as part of the side events of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2021.

An appointment that represents a moment of encounter to promote the commitment of regional and local institutions in the implementation of European cohesion policy, and that the partners of the SMART ADRIA project, funded by the Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro programme, have taken as an opportunity to offer stakeholders in the blue economy an overview of the different and synergistic sources of European funding that the future programming cycle will make available.

The event, which took place in hybrid mode, began with institutional greetings from the President of the Puglia Regional Council, Loredana Capone, who, as a member of the European Committee of the Regions, stressed "the importance of promoting European economic and social cohesion through concrete measures and public policies aimed at a fairer, more equitable and sustainable future".

The speakers followed: In the first session, on European policies and funds to activate "sustainable and innovative" blue growth, Luca Mattiotti, programme manager of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Sea, focused on the sources of funding provided by the EMFAF (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund) and Miriam de Angelis from APRE (Agency for the Promotion of European Research) gave an overview of the new funding opportunities provided by the Horizon programme in the next programming cycle.

The programmes operating in the Adriatic-Ionian region and the strengthening of synergies with the Interreg programmes were discussed in depth by Gilles Kittel from the European Commission's DG REGIO, while Mauro Novello, coordinator of the Joint Secretariat of the Italy-Albania-Montenegro programme, outlined the most significant aspects of the next programming period in the field of the blue economy.

The final session focused on the Apulian regional dimension, with measures to support blue growth illustrated by Ivano Dileo, a researcher in economics at the University of Bari and external expert of Arti Puglia, and the presentation of the best practice of the Port of Tricase, by Biagio Di Terlizzi of CIHEAM Bari.

A recording of the event will be available soon.

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