SARAJEVO, April 28 (Hina) - The foreign ministers of Croatia, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, and Montenegro on Monday signed a joint statement in Sarajevo marking the start of the Interreg III A regional co-operation
project.
SARAJEVO, April 28 (Hina) - The foreign ministers of Croatia,
Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, and Montenegro on Monday
signed a joint statement in Sarajevo marking the start of the
Interreg III A regional co-operation project. #L#
The signing of this agreement practically opens a tender for
projects intended to strengthen small and medium-sized businesses,
improve public administration, strengthen institutions and
services, particularly in infrastructure, transport and
telecommunications.
Talks were held in Sarajevo on these matters at the expert level and
it was announced that definitely set deadlines would be determined
as the money approved must be spent on quality projects by 2006.
Depending on applications, the implementation of the first series
of projects is expected as early as this autumn.
The funding for these projects amounts to 101 million euros. Sixty
percent was ensured by the European Commission, 30 percent by the
Italian government, while the remaining 10 percent was supplied by
seven Italian regions that gravitate towards the Adriatic Sea.
Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, whose government
sponsored the continuation of the Interreg project, which was
launched in 1990, told a press conference this is yet another
significant instrument of encouragement and support for countries
in the region east of the Adriatic on their way towards the European
Union.
He announced that when Italy took over presiding over the EU, it
would strongly support not only this, but also similar initiatives
aimed at bringing Southeast Europe closer to the EU.
Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said Croatia was entirely
open to processes of regional co-operation and that he was
encouraged by the fact that the Adriatic was turning into a European
sea.
Full support to the regional co-operation initiative sponsored by
Italy also came from Bosnia's diplomatic chief Mladen Ivanic, as
well as Albania's Ilir Meta and Montenegro's Dragisa Burzan.
Responding to questions by reporters, Minister Frattini confirmed
that the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian Highway would become
one of the most important trans-European transport projects.
He said that he had conducted concrete talks in Sarajevo with
Albania's Ilir Meta and reminded that a secretariat for this
project already existed in Bari and that it would involve all the
interested countries.
(hina) sp/ha sb