Sustainable tourism: strategic axis to enhance Mediterranean governance

June 28, 2017

Sustainable tourism: strategic axis to enhance Mediterranean governance

News

BleuTourMed_C3, 28 June 2017 – “Panoramed: enhancing Mediterranean governance” is the first project launched by Interreg MED that gathers regional and national Governments of the program countries for the next 5 years and it is endowed with 9 million euro funding. “The aim of Panoramed is to collect scientific evidences from all the Interreg MED-funded projects and from other institutions working for Mediterranean development to design more informed policies and strategic joint planning” declared Patrizia Busolini, Project Officer of Interreg MED Joint Secretariat, in an interview with BleuTourMed_C3. “The Programme member States have decided to initially focus on coastal and maritime tourism and maritime surveillance of the Mediterranean area – continued Ms. Busolini-. However other strategic themes will be addressed in the near future”.

So far regional and national governments as well as the EU Commission are tackling these issues, but a more effective coordination is urgently needed. Interreg MED, as a cross-regional cooperation programme in the Mediterranean coastal and maritime area, has decided to lead an inclusive and shared policy-making process to enhance Mediterranean governance.

To support its action, Panoramed will take advantage of the results attained and the knowledge produced by all the Interreg MED-funded projects that are currently working on three main axes: innovation, low carbon emission economy and environment. Besides, Panoramed is engaging a constant dialogue at a high political level with the main Mediterranean stakeholders such as: the UfM – Union for the Mediterranean, the UNEPMAP – United Nations Environment Programme, some European Union Directorates General (DG Mare, DG NEAR and DG Regio), the macro-regional strategy EUSAIR – EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, the ENI CBC Med – the European Neighbourhood Instrument, and the ETC programmes active in the Mediterranean (BALKAN MED, ADRION, INTERACT).

During its “kick off event” – 27th September 2017 in Seville, Spain – Panoramed will present its strategic approach and the main challenges it is taking on. Two representatives from each Interreg MED’s horizontal projects – the special initiatives whose aim is to animate thematic communities of projects and to capitalise on their results – will attend this event. On 28th September 2017, they will also join a closed doors coordination meeting with the Interreg MED Joint Secretariat, to develop a common methodology to share knowledge and results in order to contribute, via Panoramed, to a better governance of the Mediterranean.

(by Ermete Mariani, UNIMED)

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The BleuTourMed_C3 is a three-year project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, within the InterregMed Programme. The partnership is composed by Latin Arc (Lead Partner), Barcelona Provincial Council, Plan Bleu for the environment and development in the Mediterranean, UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Adriatic Ionian Euroregion.