Bari, September 15-16, 2025 – AICS Tirana Office participated in the “Regional Meeting on Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Balkans,” organized by CIHEAM Bari as part of the One Water project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The two-day event was dedicated to strengthening dialogue for an interregional and sustainable governance of water resources in the Western Balkans. AICS Tirana Deputy Head of Office Letizia Fischioni and two experts from AICS Tirana agriculture sector were present at the meeting, demonstrating the Italian Cooperation’s commitment to the region.
The first day, hosted at the CIHEAM Bari headquarters, featured institutional presentations and technical discussions to illustrate country-level strategies and related action plans for water resource management, along with prevention and mitigation of related risks. In thematic working groups, participants discussed digitalization, water use in the primary sector, and natural disaster risk management, identifying common priorities and potential synergies with a view to regional coordination.
On the following day, the international conference “MED WATER LAB – Challenges and Opportunities for Water Management in the Wider Mediterranean” was held at Fiera del Levante in Bari. This event brought together representatives and industry experts to discuss the challenges of sustainable water management, including a session on the outcomes of the regional meeting on the Balkans. In her speech, Ms. Fischioni emphasized how AICS Tirana projects directly address main priorities expressed by the six partner countries, particularly regarding strengthening the technical and organizational skills of irrigation consortia for sustainable irrigation management and improved water resource management through monitoring systems and tariff setting.
Through “One Water”, Italy promotes dialogue and the exchange of best practices among Mediterranean countries, with the goal of defining common guidelines for the sustainable use of water resources. “One Water” aims at simultaneously fostering equitable economic growth for local communities and strengthening a genuine “Water Diplomacy” in an increasingly warm Mediterranean basin, marked by the scarcity of a resource essential to life and peace.
