European Union Strategies and their Effects on the Adriatic-Ionian Region Ports

European Union macro-regional strategies bring together territories and stakeholders that are geographically close, but more importantly have common interests and goals to be addressed. In addition to serving as a guide for the territories involved, they are also a stimulus for growth and cooperation. Looking at the strategy of the Adriatic-Ionian region, it is possible to observe the involvement of non-EU countries, which share common goals and challenges. This area is focused on the Adriatic-Ionian basin, so ports and maritime transport play an important role in this region. The present work stems from the need to investigate the Adriatic-Ionian region in a relevant area such as the cooperation and cohesion of the maritime ports, reviewing what their main activities are and how they are influenced by macro-regional strategies in their management and participation in initiatives and projects. Starting with an overview of European macro-regional strategies, and the Adriatic-Ionian context in particular, the review was then conducted on the activities, governance, cooperation and participation in projects with other stakeholders in the macro-region. The research was conducted by consulting planning documents and information on port authorities, in order to assess the state of the art in the Adriatic-Ionian region on the topic of the ports. The conclusions of the research emphasize the importance of the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region's role in the competitiveness and cohesion of Adriatic-Ionian region ports through the cooperation between them as they are complementary and therefore it could be a mean to improve performance in this regard. This paper aims to open up further perspectives in this field, laying a foundation for more research in this domain.