Announcement of the Italian EUSAIR Presidency 2026-2027

The 26^th Governing Board of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), chaired by the Presidency of North Macedonia, was held on 4-5 March 2026 in Ohrid, North Macedonia, gathering representatives of participating countries and EU institutions to discuss the future direction of the Strategy.

A key highlight of the meeting was the announcement of the upcoming Italian Presidency of EUSAIR for the year 2026-2027. On this occasion, Italy announced that, for the first time, the Department for Cohesion Policies (DPCoe) of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers will act as the coordinator of the Presidency.

The Head of the Department, Mr. Michele Palma, informed the Governing Board that the Department is currently working to present the official programme proposal of the Italian Presidency shortly, which will then be shared with all participating countries. Italy expressed its intention to establish a Presidency that is collaborative, open to dialogue and based on a participatory approach, to further strengthen cooperation and joint decision-making, fully in line with the Strategy’s objectives.

Among Italy’s priorities are, in particular, a strengthened focus on activities in the transportation and energy sectors, by continuing the ongoing update of the EUSAIR Master Plan on Transport and the EUSAIR Master Plan on Energy, as well as the promotion of the cultural dimension, sustainable tourism and local development.

Currently held by North Macedonia, the EUSAIR Presidency will be officially handed over to Italy during the 11^th EUSAIR Annual Forum scheduled on 19-20 May 2026 in Skopje, and will run from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027.