The president of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Francesco Pigliaru
(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 11 - The president of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Francesco Pigliaru, on Thursday underscored the need to invest in human capital, education and knowledge and technology exchange to ''help our development and that of other countries''. In speaking ahead of the 'NextMed - From ENPI to ENI: a new phase of cross-border cooperation in the Mediterranean' conference on Friday, he added that there is also the need for better institutional management of such things as waste, water and free markets.
The conference was organized as part of the Italian six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. Sardinia, which led the ENPI-CBC(Cross-Border Cooperation) - Mediterranean Basin programme between 2007 and 2013, will continue to hold the role in the next phase, the ENI CBC Med Programme 2014-2020. ''Sardinia, due to its natural position, is a perfect logistical platform for dialogue between northern and southern Mediterranean,'' Pigliaru said .''It is an excellent location for cooperation and planning.'' The ENPI CBC MED programme - which includes seven EU member states and seven partner nations from the southern part of the area (Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia) - served as a cooperation platform for local bodies, public administrations, universities and civil society and private sector organizations for projects in such key sectors as socio-economic growth, cultural dialogue, sustainable tourism, environmental challenges and the development of human capital.
The programme, underscored Pigliaru, is based on ''equal dignity'' between participants. ''It is not a European project that looks down on the southern Mediterranean,'' he said. ''It is managed cooperatively by all'', ensuring a ''greater sense of belonging'' among partners. He added that ''we can build many useful things, help small enterprises to improve production, improve education and help those governing to govern better'' The regional president stressed that Europe should focus on reducing the gap between the northern and southern Mediterranean, noting that ''ENPI worked on this point to stimulate planning and cooperation, since cooperation fosters confidence and nothing can be done without confidence.'' http://www.enpicbcmed.eu (ANSAmed).
