Addressing the Chamber in Strasbourg in his capacity as Istrian Prefect and chairman of the Provisional Council of the Adriatic Euro-Region, Jakovcic said that this project should contribute to speedier integration of south-eastern European countries into the common European bloc, Istria County said in a statement.
The area surrounding the Adriatic Sea has been an area with a common history, common traditions and cultural heritage since pre-Roman times. It has been an area of contact between various nations and civilisations, with a sea that both divided and connected those who lived on its coastlines, he said.
He spoke about the goals of the new region, emphasising that the project should help create "an area of peace, stability and cooperation".
Other goals are to help protect cultural heritage and the environment, and promote sustainable economic development, especially in tourism, fishing and agriculture.
The region is expected to deal with transport and infrastructure issues.
According to him, it should help create "a common framework for the better absorption and appropriate use of European funds in concert with common needs, with the end goal being support for all of the Adriatic states to enter into the European Union."
The establishment of the new region was initiated by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at the Council of Europe, the Italian region of Molise and the Croatian County of Istria. The protocol on its establishment was signed in the Italian town of Tremoli on 9 November last year.
According to Jakovcic, this is a new model for cooperation on the Adriatic, but also a new construction model for a European Adriatic home. The Adriatic Euro-Region - an organisation which will unite regional and local governments - shall be the institutional basis for the identification and resolution of important common issues, he said.