Italian Ambassador to Croatia visits Antenna Office in Zadar
03/11/2026
Zadar, 30 October 2026 – During an institutional visit to Zadar, the Italian Ambassador to Croatia, Mr Paolo Trichilo, met with representatives of the Interreg Italy–Croatia Programme at the Joint Secretariat Antenna Office. The meeting provided an opportunity to present the Programme’s activities and achievements and explore opportunities to strengthen cooperation with the Italian Embassy.
The Programme was represented by Silvia Comiati, Director of the “Direzione Programmazione Unitaria” of the Veneto Region and former Head of the Joint Secretariat and Managing Authority of the Programme, and Perica Gabrić, representing the Croatian Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Croatian National Authority in the Programme Monitoring Committee, both joining online. Angelo Mason, Head of the Joint Secretariat, and Project Managers Hrvoje Grancarić and Renata Marušić attended in person.
Building bridges for future cooperation
Several opportunities for collaboration emerged from the meeting, with the aim of increasing the visibility of Interreg results, strengthening institutional links and engaging new stakeholders in cross-border cooperation.
As a first step, an online meeting with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Croatia is planned for December 2026 to present the funding opportunities offered by the Programme's Operations of Strategic Importance (OSI), with a particular focus on LEAP TO BLUE and SEAS, addressing innovation in the blue economy.
Furthermore, Ambassador Trichilo invited the Programme to participate in the 2027 edition of the Italian Research Day in the World (Giornata della Ricerca Italiana nel Mondo), an annual event organised by the Italian Embassy in Croatia. Planned in cooperation with the University of Rijeka, the event will provide an opportunity to showcase relevant Interreg projects and highlight the added value of cross-border cooperation in research and innovation.
The Programme and the Embassy also agreed to establish a regular exchange of information to promote successful projects and their tangible results and impact. The Embassy could also play a valuable role in facilitating contacts between relevant institutions and potential project partners, helping to broaden stakeholder engagement and encourage new actors to participate in the Programme.
The meeting marked an important step towards strengthening institutional cooperation and further promoting the opportunities and achievements of Interreg Italy–Croatia across both countries.
