STREAM CITIES Delegation visits Jerusalem (Press Release)

Bethlehem: A delegation from the City of Catania, Leader of Partnership in STREAM CITIES project visited Bethlehem April 25-26, 2009. The Delegation was composed of Mr. Corrado Persico, Director of the Municipality of Catania, Mr. Davide Crimi, project manager of STEAM CITIES and Ms. Mirella Collerone.

The Delegation was received on April 25^th by the Mayor of Bethlehem Mr. Victor Batarseh, the Director General of the Municipality Mr. Tony Marcos and Steam Cities Focal Points in Bethlehem Mr. Khalil Shokeh and Ms. Dina Nassar. The meeting was an occasion to re-affirm the commitment of the Municipality of Catania to Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in general and to the STREAM CITIES project in particular and to discuss with Bethlehem STREAM’s methodology for information sharing and collaborative planning around sustainable urban management themes.

The two parties agreed to focus the STREAM CITIES approach in Bethlehem on sustainable tourism for local economic development and in creating a joint sharing and social learning platform inspired from the common historical roots that made the paths of Bethlehem and Catania cross repeatedly across centuries.

The Catania Delegation also visited Mr. Athanasios Frangos, Programme Officer in charge of STEAM CITIES at the EC Technical Assistance Office (ECTAO) in Jerusalem. Mr. Frangos – who has constantly supported STREAM CITIES since its initiation – further discussed the technical and administrative aspects of the project with the Catania Delegation.

The European partners of STREAM CITIES in partnership with the MEDA partners (Bethlehem but also the Municipality of Fez – Morocco and the Municipality of El Mina – Lebanon) is a concrete example on the multiple opportunities that Euro-Mediterranean partnership can offer. The project is offering concrete opportunities and entry points for improving relational tourism based on common roots between the participating cities.

[photo]