The Forum of the Adriatic and Ionian cities "contributes to the stability, development and prosperity of south-eastern Europe and Europe as a whole". It "works to advance the strategies that help the Western Balkans join the EU". These are two passages from the Declaration approved in Durazzo (Albania) at the end of the tenth session of the Forum of the cities. For two days (26th and 27th September), the municipal authorities of seven coastal countries have exchanged opinions about such subjects as a common identity, shared problems and strategies to promote economic and social growth in their countries as part of the EU integration process. In addition, the Forum appointed a new president, a position that will be held for two years by the Mayor of Durazzo, Vangjush Dako. This commitment to cooperation, "which regards the sea not as a boundary but as a bridge", aims to promote the local political level, for a "Europe that grows from the bottom up", by implementing the principle of subsidiarity. At the same time, the member cities of the Forum (which opened a permanent secretariat in Ancona, Italy, last June) intend to involve the national and European MPs in support of their action.
