Celebrating Interreg Cooperation Day 2025 in South Adriatic
12 Sepember 2025 - Kotor
Interreg Cooperation Day is just around the corner! This year, the South Adriatic will mark the date with events dedicated to blue economy in Kotor (Montenegro) and Taranto (Italy), under the slogan: “Inspired by the Sea: Waves of Cooperation for a Stronger Adriatic Blue Economy.”
On 12 September 2025, the Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro will join forces with the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor to show the results of some of the most successful cross-border cooperation projects.
This year’s celebration will bring together pupils from Ivo Visin Primary School in Prčanj, who will visit the Institute to experience firsthand what European cooperation means in practice. The programme includes an interactive lecture by the Institute’s staff and Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević, who will illustrate how Interreg projects improve everyday life in Montenegro and strengthen the work of scientific institutions.
The pupils will also explore the Boka Aquarium, where they will learn about different fish species from the Adriatic Sea. In addition, they will take part in practical training on cultivating microalgae used to feed and condition the European flat oyster, which was made possible through the FOOD4HEALTH project, funded by the Interreg IPA CBC Italy – Albania – Montenegro 2014-2020 programme.
The event will also feature the opening of a brand-new multimedia room within the emerging Blue Economy Training Centre at the Institute of Marine Biology, which is being constructed within the Strategic SKILLS project, funded under the Interreg IPA South Adriatic programme.
Celebrations will continue in Italy on 4 October 2025: the Taranto event interweaves the Blue Economy with the protection of the marine ecosystem. We will begin at Ketos – Euro-Mediterranean Centre of the Sea and Cetaceans, before setting sail on two catamarans together with the researchers of the Jonian Dolphin Conservation. Among dolphins and the surprises of the Gulf of Taranto, we will collect data and turn every observation into a concrete act of care for the sea.
Join us in celebrating the positive impact of Interreg programmes and the benefits of working together across borders!