Presov Region to Cooperate with French PACA Region

Presov, February 24 (TASR) - Presov region and the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) have formed a partnership aimed at water resources, the environment, sustainable tourism and cultural heritage, with representatives of the two regions meeting this week in Slovakia. "A visit to the French partner region is a great inspiration for us because they have a lot to boast about and they know how to do things, especially in tourism. Their experience is key, and we can draw on it in our territory and projects, including in the field of water retention in the environment, which was the main topic of our initial working meeting. We have a specific idea of cooperation in terms of use of EU funds. There are national initiatives that can be used by countries without common borders," said Presov region head Milan Majersky. "Last but not least, I would certainly direct this cooperation also to culture. [The French] are very interested in the reconstruction of the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art [in Medzilaborce] and his works, which will be travelling not only in Slovakia but also abroad during the reconstruction. This is an attraction for them to come again in the future," remarked Majersky. Priority areas for mutual cooperation between the two regions are sustainable tourism and green issues. "Our region is well visited, but in the past we have made a large number of mistakes which may have damaged the areas which tourists visit. We want to enrich each other's knowledge with Presov region and approach the topic of tourism in a sensitive, environmentally friendly and sustainable way. This is where we see potential in the 'LIFE and other financial mechanisms' programme, in which we could chose common topics and involve both or more regions so that we can apply for EU funds," said Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur vice-chair Jean-Pierre Colin. Bilateral relations between the French and Slovak region are expected to lead to the signing of an official agreement on mutual cooperation in Marseille in November. zel/mcs/am