EUropean REgions of GAstronomy building resilience and creating economic growth
Project aim:
EUREGA’s main objective is to have food, food habits and gastronomy included and recognised in EU, regional and national strategies and policies. These should be seen both as a cultural asset and strong element in regional cultural identity and as a necessary tool to boost sustainable products and services.
Agri-food is Ireland’s and particularly the North-Western Region’s oldest and largest indigenous industry, deeply embedded in the landscape, history and culture of the country. It is not just cultural heritage though, but its strategic importance to the Irish economy, its roots in local communities and its strengthening global reach (the industry provides quality, safe and nutritious food to consumers in at least 175 countries around the world) make it a sector unlike any other. A renewed focus on export growth, combined with a longstanding commitment to excellence, have, in recent years, created a host of new opportunities for established industry players as well as emerging entrepreneurs.
The major challenge faced is ‘scale and sustainability’ of the Region’s agri-food companies. Many are family run businesses that need targeted and integrated support. For producers and processors to capture the maximum share of domestic and overseas markets there will have to be a significant increase in the level of agri-food production both in the Western Region and in Northern Areas.
Galway, West of Ireland was awarded the title of EU region of Gastronomy for 2018 and as a project partner in the EUREGA project, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly aims to build on the success of this title and highlight and recognise the importance of Gastronomy across the Northern and Western Region in future policies.
Web: http://www.interregeurope.eu/EUREGA
Period: 2014-2020
Project start date: 2018-06-01
Project end date: 2022-05-31
Project status: Ongoing
Total budget: € 1.876.873,00
Partners
- Regional Government of Catalonia – Spain
- Northern and Western Regional Assembly – Ireland
- Development Agency of South Aegean Region – Greece
- Sibiu County Council – Romania
- Hajdú-Bihar County Government – Hungary
- International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT) – Spain
- Province of Noord-Brabant – Netherlands
- ProAgria Pohjois-Savo – Finland
