INNOVATEMED and CHORD projects, both co-financed by the MED Programme, have worked to promote local economies and to create jobs through interregional cooperation
The Committee of the Regions, the political assembly that provides the regional and the local levels with a voice in EU policy development and EU legislation, has held a capitalization conference entitled “Dynamization of the local economies through interregional cooperation in the Mediterranean area”.
During the event, representatives of regions and provinces from Italy, Greece, France and Spain have presented the projects INNOVATEMED and CHORD, which have been developed to find innovative ways to unlock the potential of their heritage and traditions in the Mediterranean basin.
Vladimir Sucha, Director of Education and Media at the DG for Education and Culture of the EC, has underlined how the transformation of the cities is intensely linked to culture. On the other hand, Reinhard Büscher, Head of Unit for Support for Industrial Innovation at the DG for Industry and Entrepreneurship of the EC, has described that the creativity and innovation arise from the coexistence of several cultural industries.
The audience has also enjoyed the integrated view of high representatives such as Victoria Palau, Director General of European Affairs of the Valencian Regional Government, Joost van Iersel, Member of the EESC Steering Committee for Europe 2020, and Marie-Paule Roudil, Director UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels and Nicolas Espitalier, representative of MED programme.
Subsequently, Carlo Falato, Provincial Minister of Tourism of the Province of Benevento (Italy), Gennaro Pollice, Director of Development, EU Policy and Enterprises Area from Province of Naples (Italy), jointly with Manuela Barzan, Director of the Institute for Promotion and Protection of Regional Products I.R.VA.T have presented the several experiences gained through the implementation of these initiatives, INNOVATEMED and CHORD.
INNOVATIVEMED is focused on improving the capacities of traditional SMEs in promotion, trade and marketing and enhancing innovation and thus achieving a higher level of competitiveness in the global market.
On the other hand, the main objective of CHORD is to develop a common strategy to govern and implement innovative cultural services and to promote initiatives based on the cultural attractiveness and heritage of rural territories in the Mediterranean area.
The discussion of the experiences of INNOVATEMED and CHORD with representatives of the European Institutions has illustrated how interregional cooperation acts as a key factor in the sustainable development of regions.
Main Results of the MED initiative
Transferable sustainability models & marketing plans for innovative, creative and cultural enterprise hubs, a comparative analysis, identification of needs and constraints for cultural heritage poles and identifying innovative solutions for balanced actions for the transferable sustainability model & marketing plans, are some of the main results of the CHORD project.
It is worth mentioning that through INNOVATEMED, partners from Greece have sought to enhance innovate clusters of selected sectors, adding value to local economy, to the achievement of sustainable development in a future of limited resources. In the Valencian region, the provinces of Alicante and Valencia have carried out a series of activities aiming at promoting the internationalization and competitiveness of their SMEs.
INNOVATEMED partners: Province of Naples (IT), Prefecture of Dodecanese (GR), County Council of Alicante (SP), Heraklio Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GR), Territorial Employment Pact in the Ribera (SP) and Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europea (SP).
CHORD partners: Province of Benevento (IT), Region of East Macedonia-Thrace (GR), Culture and Heritage Industries Cluster (FR), Fundación Comunidad Valenciana – Región Europea (SP), Ena Chios S.A (GR), Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping of Seville (SP), Municipalities Community of Ribera Alta (SP), Municipality of San Severino Lucano (IT) and Ceutí Town Council (SP).
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