The Natural Heritage Mission was represented through a collaborative initiative at the 23rd EWRC in Brussels on October 14th and 15th, 2025. The 4 Thematic Communities of the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, i.e. Innovative Sustainable Economy, Natural Heritage, Green Living Areas and Sustainable Tourism, joined forces, uniting 87 projects and 765 partners across 69 regions in 14 countries, and built an interactive “Stand” with rich material to carry a strong message “Stay by Choice, Not by Chance: Unlocking smart and green solutions for thriving Mediterranean communities and territories”.
The “Stand” was a resourceful and appealing communication tool that helped contextualise through an artistic map (visualizing each Mission’s scope and activity divided into four distinct areas / Image 1) and by the means of the expert guidance of the Missions’ representatives (Images 2 and 3) , the challenges, solutions, and impact progress across different Mediterranean territories and mediums. The overall aim was to:
- Showcase the outcomes and scope of Euro-MED missions and projects.
- Engage visitors through an interactive activity that connects Mediterranean challenges with innovative solutions—networking and knowledge-sharing.
- Strengthen Euro-Med’s visibility as a key actor in sustainability and cohesion in the region.
All attendees of the conference visiting the booth were invited to the “Stand”, to explore how sustainable solutions and governance actions help communities thrive – by choice, not by chance. They were guided by a question displayed on the printed board, i.e. “This map tells a tale of challenges… Can you pin the solutions?”. Then, each visitor chose a challenge card which prompted them to match Mediterranean topics (such as drought, wildfires, overtourism, depopulation, etc.) to the fit solution, selecting a solution card from a set “Answers from the territory” which highlighted the specific Interreg Euro-MED project output or approach corresponding to the chosen challenge. Finally, interaction and feedback were prompted by visitors who contributed by voting for their preferred challenge-solution pair, responding to questions, and connecting to the Interreg Euro-MED Community by sharing their contact details and other interesting perspectives (Images 4 and 5).
Interestingly, 42% of the visitors who replied to the questionnaire, expressed their interest to know more about the solutions to be developed, 33% were particularly interested in the policy impact of the Missions. In addition, 25% wish to explore transferring opportunities, and about 25-35% wish to enroll in the Missions’ newsletter and be part of the community through synergies and new partnerships. Overall, the visitors’ interest for ‘Promoting green living areas’ ranked 1st, whilst ‘Strengthening an innovative sustainable economy’ and ‘Protecting, restoring and valorising the natural environment and heritage’, both ranked 2nd.
The Natural Heritage Mission was represented by Odysseas Sifounakis from NTUA, Cátia Morgado and Oleksander Pechenkin from IrRADIARE, all partners of the Interreg Euro-MED Community4Nature Governance project.
