The Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII) was formally established as a political initiative at a conference held in Ancona, Italy in May 2000. Seven countries cooperate within the framework of AII: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia. The aim of AII is to link the coastal countries of the two seas with the purpose of cooperating in the development and safety of the whole area. The issue of environmental protection which is central for the socio-economic development in the subregion is the high sensitivity of the maritime and coastal areas of the closed Adriatic Sea.

Within the AII framework, an Adriatic-Ionian Council (AIC) was set up at the level of Ministers; without limiting the fields of cooperation, special attention was directed towards: economic and technical assistance and cooperation in traffic; environmental protection; SME cooperation and cooperation in the fields of culture, education and tourism; and cooperation in combating all forms of criminal.

The Adriatic-Ionian Initiative is presided on rotation basis between the seven countries members. Montenegro holds currently the chairmanship (June 2010 – May 2011).

Contact

Address: Stanka Dragojevića 2, Podgorica, Montenegro

Contact persons:

Nada Kovac, Advisor for Mobility Programmes,Tourism, Culture and Interuniversity Cooperation

Phone: +382 20 405 313

E-mail: nada.kovac@mps.gov.me

Focal points by the area of cooperation

http://www.mip.gov.me/en/index.php/AII-Montenegrin-presidency/aii-focal-points.html