Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Chairmanship in NAJ/Presidency of Albania in EUSAIR

MOTTO: “EU-Youth-AIR cultural exchange”

Albania holds the chairmanship/presidency of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (NAI) and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) for the period June 2021-May 2022

Adriatic-Ionian initiative

The Ionian Adriatic Initiative (IAI) was formalized in Ancona, Italy, on May 20, 2000. Seven countries participated in the founding event, among which was Albania. Today there are nine member countries of NAJ, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece, Italy, Serbia and Slovenia.

The aim of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative is to encourage and deepen regional cooperation, seeing this as a contribution to the European integration of member countries. The Permanent Secretariat of NAJ has its headquarters in Ancona, Italy. Albania exercised the presidency of the Ionian Adriatic Initiative in the period June 2005-May 2006, June 2013-May 2014 and most recently in June 2021-May 2022.

EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region

The EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) is a macro-regional strategy drawn up by the European Commission in cooperation with the SIA countries and was approved by the Council in 2014. The overall objective of EUSAIR is to promote economic and social growth in the region, improving its competitiveness and interconnection. This Strategy also aims to contribute to the further integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union.

The representatives of NAJ member countries made the decision to merge the Presidencies of NAJ and EUSAIR into a single one. The main purpose of this decision was the joint coordination of NAJ and EUSAIR in order to avoid duplication of activities and to explore new synergies by merging the political level of these two initiatives into one.

Presidency of Albania

pRIORITIES

aGENDA

For more information click on:

https://www.aii-ps.org/news/372-aii-eusair-chairmanship-of-albanian-programme

https://www.adriatic-ionian.eu/2021/10/19/eusair-presidency-of-albania-programme/