EUSAIR - Final Report

EU green infrastructure is synonymous for a better life, with natural solutions,
and as such contributes to healthy marine ecosystems and other real benefits,
such as food production, recreation and tourism, climate change mitigation,
coastal risk reduction and disaster prevention. European policy is continuing
to implement ambitious investments in European natural capital in the future.
All four European Macro-regions face environmental challenges. They are
aware that they cannot be successfully addressed without mutual cooperation,
so they devoted the workshop to a more efficient use of the structures offered
by Macro-regional Strategies to achieve the set goals of the European Green
Deal. The discussion focused on the conservation and restoration of ecosystems,
biodiversity and the transition to a circular economy.
The third EUSAIR thematic pillar, which addresses the Environmental Quality,
is coordinated by Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who prepared an introductory
contribution to the discussion. Mitja Bricelj from Ministry of the Environment
and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia and Senad Oprašić,
Head of Environmental Protection Department, Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina showed how Macro-regional
activities contribute to the EU's Green Deal and presented land (green) and sea
(blue) corridors in the Adriatic-Ionian Region as environmental components of
green infrastructure areas that maintain and improve biodiversity.
Among the proposed measures to improve biodiversity and ecosystem services
in the EUSAIR region, they highlighted the importance to extend the network of
marine protected areas (MPAs) in Adriatic-Ionian Region, sustainable green fisheries,
the development of green ports, the connection of the Blue and Green
Corridors with new infrastructure for green and healthy tourist destinations in
the region, with particular emphasis on the challenges of the Gulf of Trieste.
In conclusion, the discussants agreed that the exchange of experiences, good
practices and information with the other three macro-regions is also crucial.
Together with the topic of the European Green Deal, it is also worth mentioning
an accompanying event, the conference "Forest Science for Forests of the
Future", which took place in parallel with the MCW at the Biotechnical Faculty
in Ljubljana. It was devoted to the systematic presentation of genetic monitoring
of forests and biodiversity in changing environments. The programme also
included a visit to the primeval forest in Rajhenavski Rog, Kraków Forest and
the genetic monitoring area Pri Studencu.
WITH SMART SPECIALISATION TO SUCCESSFUL BLUE GROWTH
September 23 and 24 were devoted to the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3).
The virtual workshop devoted the first day to the exchange of information,
experience and mutual transfer of knowledge within the EUSAIR thematic
pillar for Blue Growth. Two topics were highlighted, the implementation of
S3 in the programming period 2014-2020 and the creation of S3 in the next
programming period.
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