The Sicilian Region returns to EuRegionsWeek: in Brussels from 8 to 10 October with the Smile and Bythos projects

The Sicilian Region returns at EuRegionsWeek, the biggest event on the European cohesion policy, which is taking place this year from 8 to 10 October at the Albert Borschette Conference Centre, a Brussels. For the second consecutive year, Sicily has been selected to participate with its own stand.

The Region's exhibition space is dedicated to the project Smile (SMall Islands Love Empowerment Communities), focused on environmental sustainability and the conservation of natural resources. An initiative that brings together various interventions (Corallo, I-Sole, Med, Re-Né), co-financed under various community programs supported by EU funds (Po Fesr Sicilia 2014-2020, Interreg Italia-Malta and Italia-Tunisia), with the same Management Authority (Sicilian Region-Programming Department). The Smile project can also be consulted online on the website of EuRegionsWeek.

Another protagonist of the event will be Bythos, the only Italian project finalist at the European RegioStars Awards 2024, the prestigious competition of the EU Commission that rewards the most innovative interventions supported by community funds at regional level. The project (which is among the 25 chosen, out of over 260 applications received from all over Europe) is co-financed by the Interreg Italy-Malta Programme and allows the transformation of waste from fish processing into bioactive molecules, usable for the production of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic products. The award ceremony will be held today, 9 October, at Autoworld in Brussels.

But it will not only be about sustainability, innovation and research. EuRegionsWeek will also give space to the promotion of the Island's products, with the meeting "Regional tasting – Between land and sea, the true #tasteofSicily“, scheduled for yesterday, October 8th from 14pm to 18pm, again at the Albert Borschette Centre (for information, click here). The initiative was organized in collaboration with the Corfilac and Dos consortia and with the Gal Madonie. Among others, the Region was represented by the Councilor for Infrastructure, Alessandro Aricò.

In the same days, the delegation of Sicilian journalists who won the “Po Fesr, Europe tells its story“. The journalists, together with the heads of the regional Order of Journalists, will participate in some initiatives on the European cohesion policy, will visit the stands of Sicily and the various countries present at EuRegionsWeek, as well as the NATO headquarters, the headquarters of the EU Commission and the Euronews studios.

The European Week of Regions and Cities, now in its 22nd year, takes place every year in Brussels. The organizers are DG Regio (Directorate-General for Regional Policy) of the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions.