Our projects Dialogue4Tourism, Community4Tourism, AQUAMAN, LIBECCIO, Herit Adapt and NaTour4CChange participated in the AQUAMAN International Workshop to tackle water scarcity in the frame of Circle the MED Forum
Held at the Piraeus Sailing Club in a dynamic hybrid format last 19 May, the AQUAMAN International Workshop organised by the National Technical University of Athens gathered key European projects, policymakers, and experts to address one of the most critical challenges facing Mediterranean islands and coastal areas: water scarcity. The event was framed in Circle the MED Forum organised by the European Public Law Organisation, Greek partner of the Sustainable Tourism Mission.
As tourist destinations face increasing climate pressures, the Sustainable Tourism Mission proved that transnational cooperation is the ultimate tool for building long-term resilience.
Youth Leading the wave of change
One of the most inspiring highlights of the day was the “Voices for Water Resilience” youth session. It was an absolute honor to welcome Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, alongside the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) moderating the debate.
During this segment, young representatives took center stage to share their visions, voice their anxieties regarding water-scarce environments, and propose concrete ideas to actively engage youth in climate resilience efforts.
High-level panels: Projects and institutions in action
The event featured deep-dive thematic sessions showcasing strong institutional backing and project synergies. The Panel I – Policy & Governance for Water Scarcity Mitigation, was focused on strategic frameworks, policy integration, and governance models supporting sustainable water management. This discussion was moderated by the Athena Research Center (Interreg Euro-MED LIBECCIO Project). It featured active contributions from the General Secretariat for Insular Policy and the Aegean of Greece, alongside the Regional Ministry of Tourism and Andalucia Exterior of Andalusia, Spain (Interreg Euro-MED NaTour4CChange Project); Governance project perspectives were brought forward by the El legado andalusí Andalusian Public Foundation (Regional Ministry of Culture and Sport of Andalusia, Spain) representing the Interreg Euro-MED Dialogue4Tourism and AQUAMAN projects, to finish with the Region of Occitanie, France, representing the Interreg Euro-MED HERIT ADAPT project.
Transitioning from policy to practice, the Panel II – Technical and Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Water Use centered around the official presentation of the AQUAMAN Project’s “Blue Horizons” Catalogue and the replicability of innovative solutions in coastal and islands contexts. Under the moderation of the National Technical University of Athens, the debate brought together an impressive array of Mediterranean projects and initiatives. Additional technical strategies were shared by the National Technical University of Athens representing the AQUAMAN and the CARDIMED project; the Barcelona Provincial Council (LP of the Community4Tourism project) introduced the common objectives and the work of the Interreg Euro-MED Sustainable Tourism Mission; the Energy Water Agency Malta representing the SHARE and MedWATER projects together with AQUAMAN Project; Impact Hub Athens representing the VERNE project; and the University of Tor Vergata (Italy) representing the Interreg Euro-MED AQUAMAN Project and the NEXUS-NESS project.
