EUSAIR - Final Report

DAY 1
Tuesday, 11 May 2021
11.15–12.00
OFFICIAL OPENING
OF THE 6 th FORUM
WELCOME ADDRESS:
Danilo Markočič,
Mayor of the Municipality
of Izola
OPENING ADDRESSES:
• Anže Logar,
Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Slovenia
• Elisa Ferreira,
EU Commissioner for
Cohesion and Reforms
• Zvone Černač,
Minister for Development
and the EU Cohesion Policy
of the Republic of Slovenia
WELCOME SPEECH BY THE MAYOR OF THE
MUNICIPALITY OF IZOLA DANILO MARKOČIČ
Honourable minister, dear guests, participants of the 6 th Forum of the
EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region,
I would be much happier if all thousands of you could be hosted in Izola – because
that would mean that we had all come out of the world's biggest epidemic safely.
Our seas knew the first quarantines, our capitals are the cradle of European civilization
– and we are still shaken to the core by a single microscopic virus. That's why
it's right to connect, to learn from each other, to help each other – and move on.
Both in Izola and in Slovene Istria, we understand Macro-regional Strategies as
a path to a better common future. We were therefore proud when the Slovene
Presidency decided that the Izola Public Institute for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship
and Development Projects of the Municipality of Izola would become the
operational platform for the EUSAIR Facility Point. We were thus involved daily
not only in work with Slovene ministries, but also with many of you from all nine
countries, which was already excellently demonstrated during the Mediterranean
Coast Week in September.
The 6 th Forum that we are opening today is a continuation and culmination of
this one-year collaboration. What makes me especially happy is that it has been
adopted by citizens of all generations. Distinguishing among the large number of
European acronyms is not self-evident, but I tell you that the women and men of
Izola also know what EUSAIR means today: they associate it with green sails,
Blue Growth, smart energy and sustainable tourism.
This is how we have lived since time immemorial – so we can recognize who really
cares about these values and such a future. We, the people of Izola, are especially
proud that the achievements of the one-year Presidency and the foundations of
future work will be written in the Declaration, which will bear the name of Izola.
If anyone, then the people of Primorska know that no man is an island. Just last
year’s mandatory physical distance and frequent isolation taught us that we can
only succeed together, closely connected to each other.
Thank you to the organizers for all the effort required by the hybrid nature of
the Forum, and I wish all participants plenty of success. Good luck and see you
again live!
46 | EUSAIR Slovene Presidency