Confindustria BARI-BAT within the framework of the SME BE SMART project, co-financed by the Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro Programme, organized the Adriatic Forum on Blue and Green Economy on Wednesday, 29 June 2022 in Bari.
The Forum illustrated regional, national and European policies related to the development of the blue and green economy, outlined priorities for the sustainable development of the economy, explored the complexities involved in gaining access to financing instruments fostering innovative approaches and addressed the issues related to the training and development of new skills for the blue and green economy.
The event was opened by the President of Confindustria BARI-BAT and Confindustria Albania, Mr. Sergio Fontana, who greeted the participants and stressed the importance of the development of blue and green economy as a long-term strategy to support economic development as a whole. Following, Mr. Antonio Agrosì, the Project Officer of the Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro Joint Secretariat, emphasized that SME BE SMART is a strategic project and has a crucial role in cooperation and growth in the Adriatic Basin. The project emphasizes the importance of the blue and green economy for the competitiveness of SMEs in this field, which is also the challenge of the new Programme Interreg IPA South Adriatic.
In the first part of the Forum, key representatives of the public administration in the Puglia Region, such as Mr. Alessandro Delli Noci, Councillor for Economic Development of Puglia Region, and Mrs. Gianna Elisa Berlingerio, Director of the Economic Development Department of Puglia Region, highlighted the protagonism of the Adriatic basin in order to support sustainable development and the economic growth of various sectors linked to the blue and green economy. Following, Mrs. Milva Ekonomi, Minister of State for Standards and Services of the Republic of Albania, stressed the importance of a common vision in the creation of a development plan, especially regarding the exchange of good practices between Italy, Albania and Montenegro.
The afternoon session presented some of the best practices in the field and showcased some of the problems in the legal framework with whom companies are faced. Some of the key problems and issues were presented by Mrs. Francesca Portincasa of Acquedotto Pugliese SPA, Mr. Natale Mariella as President of the Transport & Logistics Sector of Confindustria BARI-BAT, Mr. Massimo Labruna CEO of AS Labruna, Mr. Cosimo Cecchini as CEO and CoFounder of WERI, Mr. Valentino Russo CEO of South Agro srl, Mr. Giacomo Oro as CEO of Hydrogens srl, Mrs. Elisabetta Ciccaresse in the quality of CEO of Pj Consulting and Mr. Cosimo D’Onghia as General Project Manager of Eco Innova Energy Saving srl.
The discussion represented an important opportunity for comparison and debate on strategies and on the potential deriving from the "Blue and Green Growth" for the regional and national territory, also looking at successful experiences at European level.
For more information, please contact: Laura De Candia – decandia[at]confindustria.babt.it