Tirana, 6 May 2022

18th Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of Adriatic and Ionian Initiative

The work of the 18th Conference of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII), attended by the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Political and Educational Affairs, New Democracy MP Vassilis Digalakis, representing the  President of the Hellenic Parliament, concluded on Friday afternoon in Tirana.

Proceedings were structured around the following two thematic units:

- European Integration: Western Balkans, an Added Value of the Adriatic and Ionian Region and of the European Union”.

- Culture and Tourism as a priority of collaboration of AII countries.

During the 1st thematic unit, participants discussed the Western Balkans EU accession perspective, with Mr. Digalakis stating that Greece pursues consolidation of stability and security together with the development of the region, firmly and actively supporting the Western Balkans’ European perspective as a strategic goal. He said that the Western Balkans, further to their history of cultural proximity, constitute an "economic inland" for our country, an area of intense activity for the Greek business community, also underlining that the EU is a main political, economic and trade partner of the Western Balkans.

The Greek MP condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reiterated Greece’s respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of all states and called on participants to work for peace.

The discussion during the 2nd thematic unit revolved around the issue of cooperation among AII member-countries in the fields of culture and tourism.

Mr Digalakis as one of the panel’s keynote speakers analysed the close connection between tourism and culture, stressing the need for laying emphasis on alternative forms of tourism.

He called attention to the huge contribution of tourism to the GDP, regional development, social cohesion and the prevention of desertification, as well as to attracting investment and supporting trade balance.

Mr Digalakis made special reference to the new model of tourism, that of the independent visitor, "which is constantly gaining ground against the traditional model of mass tourism", emphasizing that "the new tourist experience offered must be hands-on and holistic". In this direction, as he explained, “enhancing our regions’ connectivity, both with other European countries and with each other is a critical factor. The new tourist model calls for more (if any) or new (if not existing) direct connections between destinations, with the aim of extending the tourist season”.

He also highlighted tourism as a factor that helps retain the population, especially in small and remote areas, and elaborated upon the need for green economy investment in order to protect and promote our basic tourist products, landscapes and monuments. He also focused on the important role of education, lifelong learning and training in the reskilling and upskilling of manpower in the field of tourism, to enable sustainable and innovative tourism ecosystem-appropriate staffing.

Mr Digalakis outlined some of the flagship programmes in the context of the EU strategy on the Adriatic-Ionian region (EUSAIR), selected for cultural tourism promotion in the macro-region.

Closing, he expressed his certainty over the Adriatic and Ionian region’s capacity to become a crossroads of alternative routes, via best utilisation of its abundant natural, cultural and historical assets, while through systematic work, effective regional cooperation and appropriate utilisation of its natural and human resources, it can create conditions for a thriving economy with social cohesion.

The conference concluded with the adoption of a Joint Statement.

The conference was attended by the Speakers/ Presidents (or their representatives) of the 7 Parliaments of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative member-countries, the AII Secretary-General Giovanni Castellaneta, while the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama delivered a welcome address.

 

 

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