Cross-Border Round Table: shaping the future of the Gastro-Diplomacy Network
24/09/2026
On 11 September 2026, the GUSTI project held its Cross-Border Round Table: shaping the future of the Gastro-Diplomacy Network, bringing together project partners and invited stakeholders from Croatia and Italy in an interactive online discussion.
The Round Table was organised within Activity 3.7 - Cross-Border Gastro-Diplomacy Network and represented an important step in shaping the cooperation model of the network being developed through the GUSTI project.
Moderated by Željko Trezner, the discussion brought together different perspectives from the fields of tourism, gastronomy, local and regional development, public administration, education and the valorisation of local food and cultural heritage.
A cross-border panel connecting Croatian and Italian territories
The discussion brought together representatives of the GUSTI partnership and gastrodiplomats from all participating territories.
From Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the discussion included Gorana Margaretić from the Regional Development Agency DUNEA and gastrodiplomat Nikolina Trojić, President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy - Dubrovnik County Chamber.
Emilia-Romagna was represented by Federica Diamanti from Regione Emilia-Romagna, together with gastrodiplomats Barbara Dell’Anna from Iniziative Turistiche and Fernanda Mendoza from Iscom Group.
From Karlovac County, Jakov Cipurić represented JURRA, together with gastrodiplomat Silvio Adilović from the Karlovac County Tourist Board.
Lika-Senj County was represented by gastrodiplomat Mile Milković.
From Puglia, Valerio Palasciano, Local Expert Coordinator for the GUSTI Sustainable Gastro-Cultural Task Force, represented PUGLIA CULTURE, together with gastrodiplomat Pier Franscesco Palmariggi, Tourism Councillor of the Municipality of Fasano.
The Veneto perspective was represented by Alessandro Venti from Spin Life and Maria Valentina Vanceo from CESCOT VENETO, together with gastrodiplomat Andrea Galeota from VenicePromex, the agency responsible for the internationalisation of the Veneto Chamber of Commerce system.
From Zadar County, the panel included Ive Surić from ZADRA NOVA and gastrodiplomat Josip Matassi.
From local experiences to cross-border cooperation
The Round Table was structured as an interactive panel discussion and qualitative focus group, giving participants the opportunity to reflect on how a future Gastro-Diplomacy Network could function in practice and create added value for participating territories.
The discussion focused on four interconnected themes: the principles of cooperation within the network, cooperation between different groups of stakeholders, the connection between local, cross-border and wider international development, and priorities for future joint activities.
Particular attention was given to how cooperation can connect local products, producers, tourism actors, public institutions and other stakeholders with broader gastro-cultural tourism experiences, while preserving local identity and supporting sustainable tourism development.
The exchange also explored how the network can remain flexible and accessible, encouraging cooperation and knowledge exchange without creating unnecessary administrative structures.
Building the GUSTI Gastro-Diplomacy Network
The Cross-Border Gastro-Diplomacy Network aims to strengthen cooperation among stakeholders involved in gastronomy tourism, tourism management and sustainability, including public authorities, businesses, local communities, education and research institutions, interest groups and non-governmental organisations.
Through this cross-border approach, GUSTI seeks to connect local knowledge and experiences from Croatian and Italian territories and create opportunities for further cooperation in areas such as gastro-cultural experiences, knowledge exchange, capacity building, digital tools, joint promotion and networking.
The input gathered during the Round Table will contribute to the further development of the network and will be taken into account in the next steps of Activity 3.7, including the Cross-Border Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Dubrovnik and the Memorandum of Understanding for the Cross-Border Gastro-Diplomacy Network.
