That’s right! The Green Living Areas Mission’s Institutional Dialogue project officially kicked off its dialogue process during a dedicated session at the Thematic Community’s launch event. Held in Turin, Italy on 11 April 2024, the session marked a significant stride towards fostering collaboration between policymakers and public stakeholders across Euro-Mediterranean territories. Bringing together over 100 attendees representing 19 Thematic Projects and beyond, the session was a collective effort towards understanding how to enhance citizens’ quality of life in the Mediterranean.
The keynote speech was delivered by Elodie Bossio, Deputy Director of FEDARENE, who emphasised the European Commission’s efforts on citizen involvement in initiatives, spotlighting the EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change.
Other speakers included representatives from the Institutional Dialogue projects of other Euro-MED missions, such as Alessandro Daraio, Lead Partner of the Dialogue4Innovation Project, and Alexia Spyridonidou, Partner of the Dialogue4SustainableTourism Project. Both of them highlighted the potential for synergies between Institutional Dialogue projects to amplify the impact of territorial strategies funded by cohesion policies.
The significance of collaboration in supporting Thematic Projects was underscored through tailored policy mapping, addressing both present challenges and future aspirations. Introducing the Public Transversal Euro Mediterranean Living Lab methodology, the session put the spotlight on engagement as a cornerstone for fostering policy dialogue through innovative means.
Culminating in an interactive segment featuring the project’s Living Lab questionnaire, 39% of local, regional, and national public authorities responded, expressing anticipation for support in linking technical project outcomes to policy. More than half expressed interest in community engagement, signalling a collective aspiration for knowledge sharing and co-developed policy outputs.
This is just the beginning of our collective endeavour towards shaping policies for greener living areas: indeed, the first Online Policy Working Group meetings will be next, taking place online on 11-12 June 2024.
Stay tuned as we share more news in the upcoming weeks!
