The kick-off meeting of the Mediterranean partners and associates, of the European Program Mare Nostrum, took place in Florence, Italy. The initiative for the application of this program was taken by the Architectural School of the University of Florence. The program was approved by the European Commission. The duration of the program is three and a half years, beginning on 01/01/2009 and ending on the 15/07/2012.
In this program 6 Mediterranean countries participate, among which three: Italy, Greece and Malta are members of the E.U. and the other three are: Tunisia, Lebanon and Syria.
In the Mare Nostrum Program there are «partners» and «associates». From Greece, the Municipality of Rhodes and namely the Office for the Medieval City, participates as «partner», while the University of the Aegean and namely its Department of the island of Chios, of which main object are the Highest Studies in Tourism and the House of Europe in Rhodes are «associates».
At the meeting in Florence Mr. Stathis Evanghelinidis, archaeologist, represented the Municipality of Rhodes, while the professor Mr. Andreas Papatheodorou represented the University of the Aegean and the House of Europe in Rhodes has been represented by its President Mrs. Anna Charitou.
Τhe Program Mare Nostrum aims in contributing to the promotion and sensitisation of the value of cultural heritage of the port-cities of the Mediterranean Sea, disseminated along the Phoenician commercial maritime routes, through the valorisation of their common characteristics. It also aims in contributing in the development of a sustainable cultural tourism plan will be designed and will include the valorisation of traditional handicraft of the historical places of the Mediterranean which make part of this ambitious program.
As the Program will proceed we will keep you informed.