The kick-off meeting of the project CIRCLE-IN,“Promoting CIRCuLar Economy INvestments and policies in the cross-border area of Greece-Italy”, co-funded by the Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme 2014-2020, was held on July 10, 2018, in Ioannina (Congress Center «Frontzu Politeia»).
The Chamber of Ioannina is the lead beneficiary of this project in cooperation with one Greek partner, the Chamber of Lefkada, and two Italian partners, the Chamber of Commerce of Foggia and the University of Salento.
CIRCLE-IN project, financed under the Priority Axis 1 – Innovation and Competitiveness, is based on the Circular Economy concept, that is, an industrial economy producing zero waste and pollution. Circular economy offers an opportunity to reinvent the economy making it more sustainable and competitive and benefiting businesses, industries and local communities. It is one of the top priorities of the European Commission and it can boost competitiveness, foster sustainable economic growth and generate new jobs. Although an European Commision priority, Circular Economy is still a new and unknown concept in the cross-border area of the programme while the transition to a Circular Economy requires not only innovation but also investors. In this respect, the common challenge of CIRCLE-IN is to promote Circular Economy, the respective innovative processes and the benefits from applying circular economy in the cross-border area and to assist entrepreneurs and businesses of the area to exploit their skills and the opportunities linked to the application of Circular Economy.
Thanks to the CIRCLE-IN project, the Greece-Italy local entrepreneurs and enterprises will be informed and trained about the opportunities of the Circular Economy, its applications and benefit. A Joint Multilingual Web Platform will offer a wide range of relevant services to stakeholders such as information and networking, mentoring and training services in order to create a network between the relevant stakeholders (business support organizations, SMEs, entrepreneurs, associations, public organizations) of the Programme area.