Interreg MED Programme focus in Spring edition of PANORAMA
Dec 30 2021
You are probably wondering, what interest has South Korea on an Interreg Programme! For other countries outside Europe, the European cooperation policy example is unique and can serve as inspiration in other world contexts, where coperaition among countries is nort a current instrument of regional policy. The Interreg MED Programme, received last year a visit of the South Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology, a public research institution on development, to learn about the example of the Mediterranean cooperation programme.
In its 2019 spring edition, the PANORAMA magazine, featured by the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG Regio), recalled this visit by interviewing the head of the Korean delegation and of the Balance Development Evaluation Centre (BDEC), Mr. Sung-hoon.
The south Korean responsible explained the motives of his delegation visit to Europe: “BDEC also makes efforts to check the feasibility of balanced development projects and assess their indicators of achievement.” He was very impressed by the work done among the 13 countries along the northern Mediterranean coast work. He found it very useful to learn about the detailed performance indicators and goals of each thematic objective of the 2014-2020 Programme.
The practical side of Interreg Mediterranean cooperation is illustrated in the focus with the example of the Maestrale project, a transnational cooperation project that aims to lay the strategical foundations for maritime energy in the Mediterranean area.
The project has proven that involving civil society in a cooperation project is beneficial to development. Several high-school students from the Professional Technical School Tito Sarrocchi, in Siena, Italy participated in an experiment promoted by the University of Siena. They designed, constructed and assembled a prototype of a wind turbine which they launched in the waters of the Fonte Gaia fountain. However, this was just the beginning of a wonderful journey. They continued the experience in Malaga, Spain, to show other students the prototype they had built.
