First Experts Meeting held in Serres and Drama Region, 16 July 2007

The discussion began with the presentation of Professor Lois Labrianidis about the prospects of cross-border collaboration and the initial findings from the interviews that had been done in the case study region of study with institutions and key persons. In this frames became a first estimate of discoveries and then the weight was given in the exchange of opinions with regard to the new prospects of collaboration that are opened between the regions of Central Macedonia Periphery and these in the Southern Bulgaria. The threats in the frames of enlarged EU and the problems that emerge more specifically for Serres and the Drama were analysed together with the required policies at local, national and also European level for the guarantee of cross-border collaboration between institutions and enterprises from the two sides of borders. The next phase of research, that will last until the end November, includes the conduct of interviews with enterprises from this area, what collaboration they have developed with corresponding institutions of on the other side of the border, so to estimate the level of collaboration and to propose policies that could strengthen him, decreasing the obstacles and the threats that are created.