North Macedonia takes over the presidency of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region

Athens – On the margins of the tenth annual forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) taking place on the island of Crete under the Greek presidency, North Macedonia today will officially take over the next presidency of EUSAIR from the host Greece at a ceremonial event, reported the MIA correspondent from Athens.

This is the first presidency since North Macedonia became part of these regional cooperation formats, and the Macedonian delegation is led by the Minister for European Affairs, Orhan Murtezani.

The jubilee tenth forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, which started yesterday, is part of the Greek presidency of the EU Macro-regional Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII), and according to the Ministries of Economy and Finance and Foreign Affairs of Greece, the annual forum in Crete will host a “Ministerial Meeting of the Initiative with the adoption of the Crete Declaration; a panel of competent ministers for European programs; a ceremony for the handover of the presidency from Greece to North Macedonia, as well as a press conference of the heads of the two presidencies”.

As announced by the Ministry for European Affairs, Minister Murtezani will participate in the ceremony for the handover of the presidency, the panel of ministers for EU funds, and the ministerial meeting, as part of the broader agenda of the Forum dedicated to strengthening regional cooperation, connectivity, and integration in the Adriatic-Ionian region.

The presidency of North Macedonia with EUSAIR and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative begins on June 1, 2025, and will last for one year.

The Greek presidency of EUSAIR began last year and will conclude at the end of this month.

– The goal of the Greek presidency and the Forum is to strengthen regional cooperation in the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region, promote the European perspective of the Western Balkans, highlight the role of social cohesion, emphasize blue skills, and address climate change in the new revised Action Plan, as well as to connect EUSAIR with the future Cohesion Policy after 2027, stated the Ministries of Economy and Finance and Foreign Affairs of Greece.

They added that the tenth annual forum in Crete will highlight “the strategic role of Greece as a bridge between the European Union and the Western Balkans and will also confirm the country’s strong commitment to strengthening European cohesion, transnational cooperation, and sustainable development in the broader region”. (May 6, 2025)