Cooperation between Croatia and Italy in the matter of blue growth comes very naturally

Sustainable management of marine resources and the use of new technologies in marine protection were the topics of the conference held in CCE, organized by the Italian Embassy in Zagreb and the Croatian Chamber of Economy. The event The role of the blue economy in the Adriatic Sea in promoting sustainable development between Italy and Croatia brought together top Italian and Croatian experts with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the area of the blue economy.

“CCE, as the holder of the strategic Interreg project InnovaMare and in cooperation with Italian colleagues, connected more than three hundred companies and scientific and research institutions in the blue economy. One of the key results of the project is the newly established Digital Innovation Hub in Šibenik, in which CCE is one of the founders Through the hub, we will launch new projects with the aim of positioning Croatia and Italy as leading centers for the development, testing and validation of marine technologies for the sustainability of the Adriatic Sea,” said CCE Vice President for Industry and Sustainable Development Tomislav Radoš. Radoš also referred to the importance of the Agreement on the Delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones, which Italy and Croatia signed almost a year ago in Rome, evaluating it as a significant step in the awareness of how important it is to protect this natural resource that our countries share and what implications it has for economy and jobs.

“In Italy, there is a high level of awareness of the value of the blue economy. Regional agreements give additional momentum to development, as well as appropriate support from financial institutions,” said Italian Ambassador to Croatia Pierfrancesco Sacco, who pointed out that, among other things, the goal of this event is to encourage greater operationalization of projects in cooperation with Croatian and Italian companies.

“The blue economy in Croatia employs 170,000 workers. These are tourism, shipbuilding, fishing – all those activities that drive the Adriatic economy. Cooperation between Croatia and Italy in terms of blue growth comes very naturally, and EU funds are a key lever that can stimulate further investments.” , said the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Šime Erlić. He praised the InnovaMare project and the knowledge base and partnerships that were created as part of it, and announced additional opportunities for financing blue growth through grants as part of the Industrial Transition of Pannonian, Northern and Adriatic Croatia.

The InnovaMare strategic project was presented by its leader Mateo Ivanac, who is also the head of the CCE Innovation System Department, and announced the final conference of the project, which will be held this Friday in Šibenik, the location of the new Digital Innovation Hub. “An academy for students of relevant professions is currently underway in order to motivate them to develop technologies for the protection of the Adriatic,” said Ivanac.

As part of the event, two panel discussions were held with the aim of connecting all relevant actors of the two countries and providing additional incentives for efforts to protect the marine and coastal environment, while simultaneously developing economic activity.