MED COOPERATION: A ROAD TO PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
Med Cooperation is a decentralised co-operation programme among three Israeli municipalities, three Palestinian ones, the Tuscan Regional Authority together with municipalities, provincial authorities and NGO's. The programme has been realised through funds from the Regional Authority, the European Union, the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation and the Arte Continua Association.

The Med Cooperation network has been established in 1999 by various Tuscan subjects involved in Solidarity and Collaboration initiatives in the Middle East, in order to have a more effective dialogue with local operators. The subjects also intend to support the Peace Process by operating locally through the decentralised co-operation methodology.

The first stage of the programme terminated in July 2003, followed by the second stage set out in March 2005 and still in progress.

The main steps of the programme can be summarised as follows:

- 1999 – in September, on the occasion of the " Tuscany in the world and with the world" manifestation, the Israeli and Palestinian partners were invited to sign along with the Tuscan Regional Authority and some Tuscan local agencies the “Memorandum of Understanding” . This Memorandum formally established the Dialogue and Collaboration Network, singling out the objectives of working together. A first project was hereafter elaborated and submitted to the European Commission for a co-financing.

- 2000 – in April, after the official communication of the European Commission to co-finance the programme, the Middle-Eastern partners met the Tuscan ones at S.Rossore (Pisa area) to subscribe a Network Agreement. On the basis of the aims of the "Memorandum of Understanding" signed in September 1999, the partners decided together the principles, aims and main working themes of the Med Cooperation Programme. All partners have pledged to intensify dialogue occasions and expressed their will to develop the Med Cooperation Programme according to the principles included in the Declaration of Barcelona.

- 2000 – in September, the first meeting of the Directing Committee of Med Cooperation Network (composed of political representatives of Israeli, Palestinian and Tuscan municipalities) was held in order to define in detail the operating lines of the Med Cooperation Programme. On such occasion, mixed Work Groups (Tuscany, Israel and Palestine) were formed and they started to develop cooperation initiatives in the sectors of tourism, valorisation of cultural heritage and professional training. This event represents a mostly significant moment, being the first time ever that Israeli mayors went to a Palestinian city where they stayed overnight and conversed about co-operation and development.

- 2002-2003 – following the outbreak of the second Intifada (end of September 2000), the project endured a substantial slowdown. However, the Middle-Eastern and Tuscan partners kept in contact with each other in spite of the difficult situation on the ground. Training courses were realised in Tuscany and in the Middle East, regarding the valorisation of Cultural Heritage that is common to both populations, in order to promote and develop the areas concerned in the Programme.
- 2003 – in July, a final meeting of the Directing Committee of the Network was held in Florence for the closure of the first stage of the project. On such occasion, the Mixed Work Groups (Tuscany, Israel and Palestine) illustrated and discussed the results of the three-year period of the project, thus identifying the Northern Holy Land Heritage Way, which connects the six Middle-Eastern cities. It aims to valorise the common Cultural Heritage and typical productions, thus promoting local development and new opportunities to dialogue between the two communities in conflict. On the basis of the results obtained by the mixed Work Groups, a new request of co-financing was presented to the European Commission.

- 2004 – The proposal of realising the second stage of Med Cooperation was approved by the European Commission (Partnership for Peace line) and the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation; it formally started in March 2005.

- 2005 – in July, during the mission-visit of the Councillor Massimo Toschi in the Middle East, the second stage of the programme had its official start. In the following months, working in a Network had been organised to prepare the operating activities in the Middle East and Tuscany as from 2006.

- 2006 – in April, the Med Cooperation Network participated through its own Stand at the Handicrafts Exhibition, in order to promote the Northern Holy Land Heritage Way, exhibiting agricultural foodstuffs and Artisan products coming from the partner cities of the Programme. At the same time, Training Seminars were achieved for functionaries and technicians coming from the partner cities of the Project. The topics of the Training were:

i) Valorisation and promotion of Cultural Heritage

ii) Valorisation and promotion of typical local productions and tourism.