0n 27th May took place a meeting of the European Interregional Committee for the coordination of the Via Francigena. The meeting was organised by EAVF, in collaboration with the regions along the Via Francigena.

Nowadays the Francigena is considered, from a cultural and economic point of view, to be the spine of the sustainable development of the territories it crosses.

A ‘cultural bridge’ that links the northern regions with the Mediterranean. A ‘fil rouge’ of 2.500 km that, from Canterbury (County of Kent, England), passing through France, Switzerland and Italy, reaches the Eternal City. Then, crossing Puglia it goes to Jerusalem.

On Friday 27th June, an important meeting was held in Milan and it involved the regions on the Via Francigena. It was a conference to talk about the conditions of the cultural route – the traffic signs, the infrastructures, promotion and communication – in order to create a common strategy through some European actions to coordinate all the regions. They had the opportunity to share some ideas to develop the Via Francigena. The assembly, the fifth since 2012, is part of the European project ‘PER VIAM’ (1.3.2012 – 28.2.2013) pioneered by EAVF. After meeting in Tuscany (promoted by the region), in 2013 there have been other three: Echelon-en-Champagne, Foggia in occasion of the Sacred Routes and Brussels for the Euromeeting.

The debate was focus on the European Master Plan that aims to secure the entire Via Francigena thanks to some common policies. One of the objectives of the regions is to insert the action taken for the Via Francigena and for other historical routes, into the financial plans from 2014 to 2020 as a European project.

EUROPEAN INTERREGIONAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE OF COORDINATION

EAVF, Tuscany and Région Champagne-Ardenne have proposed the creation of a European interregional technical committee to coordinate the areas along the Via Francigena. It is open to every region crossed by the Francigena, even the ones in south Italy from where the route goes to Jerusalem.

From north to south the regions involved are Kent, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, Picardie, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comté, Cantone Vaud, Cantone Vallese, Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Molise, Basilicata e Puglia.