CEI Secretary General, Amb. Gerhard Pfanzelter, attended the Adriatic and Ionian Council, held in Ancona on 5 May, marking the tenth anniversary of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative.
In outlining the role of the CEI in promoting regional cooperation since its establishment 20 yeas ago, Amb. Pfanzelter emphasised the need to monitor existing and upcoming EU strategies focused on macro-regions.
In this respect, he referred to the most recent action of the CEI, namely the submission of a CEI position paper in the framework of the Public Consultation on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region – an action which is meant to pave the way to a substantial involvement of the CEI in these macro-region strategies as well as in other EU initiatives.
“We are also very much interested in the evolving European Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region – said Amb. Pfanzelter – and we are convinced that this region has a great potential, especially in the light of the Western Balkan prospects for EU integration.”
Amb. Pfanzelter also expressed deep gratitude for Italy’s remarkable financial commitment and political vision in promoting the region and its European perspective.