PRESS RELEASE

Until Wednesday, at the Hotel Nicolaus two days organized by Asset and dedicated to the development and strengthening of connections and cooperation between the countries on the two shores of the Lower Adriatic thanks to the Lasting Project, financed by the Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania- Montenegro

Bari, November 20 th 2023 – Two days of work to discuss the strengthening of connections and cooperation between the countries on the two shores of the Lower Adriatic. It is the First International Conference of the Lower Adriatic, scheduled for Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd November at the Hotel Nicolaus inBari, the final event of the Lasting project, financed by the Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro Cooperation Programme.

The initiative is organized by Asset - Strategic Regional Agency for the Eco-sustainable Development of the Territory, leader of the Lasting project, to bring together experts from the European Union and in particular from Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria as well as by the Presidency of the Council and the Italian regions of Puglia and Molise.

Lasting pursued the general objective of promoting regional coordination and rationalization of passenger flows in the Lower Adriatic area and in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which involves the relaunch of Pan-European Corridor VIII. The partnership is made up of Asset; Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea; Autoriteti Portual Durres - Albania; Luka Bar Akcionarsko Društvo Bar (Port of Bar Joint Stock Company) - Montenegro; Sviluppo Italia Molise S.p.A., Regional Development Agency of the Molise Region - Italy.

The event will begin with welcome greetings from Michele Emiliano, President of the Puglia Region.

During the first session (from 9.30am to 1pm on Tuesday 21 November), conducted by Giuseppe Garofalo, Asset Project Manager, will be presented two outputs carried out within the project: a technical study by Matteo Apollonio, of the System Authority Port Authority of the Southern Adriatic for the improvement of cooperation between the Ports of Bari, Bar and Durazzo, and research on passenger flows between the two shores of the Southern Adriatic, by Alessandro Rubino and Claudia Capozza of the University of Bari Aldo Moro.
Following, an unprecedented comparison between the international protagonists of maritime transport: the representatives of the Ports, in comparison with the representatives of the major shipping companies, will present the results obtained in recent years and their projects for the near future, with a view to open  collaboration. Luigi Morfini from Morfimare - Montenegro Lines moderates the discussion with the participation of representatives of ports and ferry companies, including GNV - Grandi Navi Veloci, Port of Vlore, Ventouris Ferries, Port Authority of Durres, Jadrolinija, Barimar, Southern Adriatic Ports Authority.

The second session (from 2.30pm to 5pm on Tuesday 21 November), directed by Massimo Lupis d'Urso, expert in internationalization processes, will focus on the proposal for the establishment of the "Corridor 8 Euroregion", built on the European legislation that has established the European Groups of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). The proposal envisages creating a European legal entity bringing together Puglia and Molise with Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, capable of attracting projects and funding to create an innovative and effective system of road, maritime, rail and air transport between these territories, and to carry out actions to support joint economic development.

The day of November 22 (9.30-13), begins with the greetings of Salvatore Refolo, Extraordinary Commissioner of Asset Puglia, and Aurora Losacco, Project Officer of the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro Programme. The third session, chaired by Vito Antonio Antonacci, Director of the Transport Department of the Puglia Region, will propose the guidelines developed by the Lasting Project for a joint and harmonious development of the passenger transport system in the Lower Adriatic.

The event will end with a panel on the future of cooperation between Puglia, Molise, Albania and Montenegro for the improvement and optimization of maritime connections, during which representatives of various institutions and ports will sign a pact to establish collaboration for development of an increasingly interconnected Lower Adriatic, inspired by the words of the English poet Alexander Pope: "let the sea unite the people it has divided".

The Conference, open to the public, will be held in Italian and English, with simultaneous interpreting service.

Event registration to the following link: https://bit.ly/47cxlOC

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Technical Secretariat: Ediola Celoaliaj, 334 910 0844 and Verce Trajkova, 388 160 3681