Amamo Stand Within the International Festival of Istrian Ham at Tinjan - (Isap 2007)“

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

Project AMAMO "Attraverso il mare e i monti "

Report from the Innovative Event organized by the Agency for the Rural Development of Istria Ltd. Pazin in accordance with Action 4.1. (WP 4) of the International Action AMAMO funded within the framework of the Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme.

„AMAMO STAND WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ISTRIAN HAM AT TINJAN - (ISAP 2007)“

Tinjan, 27 and 28 October 2007

Project Work Action Responsible Partner Budget Item Date Package AMAMO WP 4 4.1. AZRRI 5.7. 27 and 28 October 2007

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

Action AMAMO

Within the New Neighbourhood Programme, Informest – Service and Documentation Centre for International Economic Cooperation, registered in Gorizia, under the sponsorship of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, put forward the Action Amamo -"Attraverso il mare e i monti" ("Through the sea and the mountains") in 2006.

The Region of Istria, in cooperation with its Croatian partners: AZRRI Ltd., PINS Ltd., Split and Dalmatia County, Dubrovnik and Neretva County, and its Italian partners: Informest, Gorizia Province Administration, Mountain Community of Carnia, ASDI, Sweet North East Consortium, AIPO, SVIM s.p.a., Puglia Region and the Municipality of Lecce has been implementing the Action „Attraverso il mare e i monti - Through the sea and the mountains", known under the acronym „AMAMO“, on the territory of the Region of Istria, Primorsko-Goranska County, Split and Dalmatia County, Dubrovnik and Neretva County, and of the Italian regions of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Veneto, Marche and Puglia. The Action is funded by the European Union and Action Partner Organisations. The total value of the Action has been estimated as EUR 1,260,000.00, and the value of the Croatian side has been estimated to EUR 290,000.00 where the stake of the five Croatian partners reaches about 15% of the total amount approved for Croatian partners.

The general objective of the project is the valorisation of endogenous resources of mountain and maritime rural areas of the territories of the partners.

The specific objectives of the project can be summarized as follows: to strengthen and diversify, transform and commercialise entrepreneurial activities in the primary sector, to safeguard natural and cultural heritage by means of promotion, rehabilitation and social management, to establish a transnational network for partners and final beneficiaries in order to improve the governance techniques, to promote transadriatic cooperation within the production sector.

The above-mentioned project objectives will be realised through a whole range of activities: establishment of a management body, linking of project partners, organisation of pilot-actions, preparation of promotional catalogues and other promotional material, specialised study-visits to Italian partners by Croatian producers, specialized workshops, preparation of web-site pages to promote rural areas included in the Project, courses on successful design of EU projects.

The Region of Istria is the lead partner for the Croatian partners involved in the AMAMO Project „Attraverso il mare e i monti“ funded from the CARDS/PHARE funds. The Region of Istria receives funds from the Project and manages them and a successful implementation requires expert technical assistance.

The following table shows the 5 Work Packages stating the Responsible Partners for each Work Package in charge of the realisation of the objectives of the Action AMAMO. AZRRI - Agency for the Rural Development of Istria is responsible for one Work Package, namely for the coordination of pilot-actions in the frame of the new rural tourism strategy.

WP No. Work Package Title Responsible Partner Establishment of the Transnational Secretariat, 1 project management and networking of the Informest - FVG implementation units 2 Analysis of past and ongoing actions SVIM - Marche 3 Strategies and methods for the design of Lecce Municipality - Puglia

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

Operational Programmes Coordination of pilot-actions in the frame of the 4 AZRRI-Istria new rural tourism strategy 5 Communication strategy Informest - FVG

AZRRI Ltd. and AMAMO project

Agency for the Rural Development of Istria is one of the five Croatian partners involved in the AMAMO project funded within the framework of the Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme.

In accordance with Work Package No. 4, Action 4.1. of the Amamo project, each of the partners is in charge, amongst other duties, to organize innovative events to promote the AMAMO project, area and products.

As one of its innovative events, AZRRI Ltd. has chosen to organise a stand within the International Festival of Ham at Tinjan (ISAP 2007).

The main reasons determining such a choice were: 1) Large attendance and interest by visitors and media for this fair, rather innovative in Croatia. 2) International character of the fair. 3) Promotion of an autochthonous product (Istrian ham) coinciding perfectly with the frame of the AMAMO Project. 4) Location of the fair in the rural place of Tinjan and possibility to promote the place through the project. 5) Possibility for Italian producers to transfer knowledge to the Croatian producers, especially given the fact that the procedure of certification and protection of designation of origin of the Istrian ham has been initiated.

Central objectives and expectations set up by AZRRI Ltd. to be achieved from the organisation of its first pilot-action within the Project can be divided into 5 levels: 1) Promotion and presentation of the AMAMO project to general public via a press conference. brochures giving details on producers and the AMAMO stand. 2) Promotion of the AMAMO club products. 3) Transfer of knowledge by means of organised expert lectures on quality and product certification. 4) Creation of new possibilities of development in the area of production and certification of autochthonous Istrian products. 5) A step forward towards strengthening the cross-border cooperation in the production and public sectors.

The following text gives a detailed description of the event, press conference and innovation actions organised by AZRRI Ltd.

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

International Festival of Istrian Ham (ISAP 2007)

The inhabitants of Tinjan first came to the idea to call themselves "the municipality of the Istrian ham" and to organise the last-year festival of the Istrian ham which grew into the the First International Fair where the hams from Istria, Dalmatia Spain and Italy, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were exhibited in front of the public palates. There could have been more exhibitors, but even the 18 producers who were present in the fair at Tinjan proved that the palette of flavours given by the dry- cured hog thigh, with or without skin, dried in bora wind or smoked, with more or less spices, is much more diverse than one could imagine. And in this world of ham, the Istrian ham has a special place: it is particular, original, for many of us better and some will say even healthier.

The opening ceremony of the First Tinjan International Fair of Ham (ISAP) 2007 started at 10 a.m. and the opening was made by Mr. Vlado Iveti ć, Mayor of Tinjan. The Ambassador of Slovenia, Mr. Milan Orožen Adami č, addressed the public with the following words, at the same time touching and witty: »Great things are happening hare, the people from the countries of the European Union are meeting with the people from countries will be in the European Union tomorrow. We are competing to win the prize for the best ham, but at the same time this occasion is the example of cooperation where we don't consider what I can do but what we can do together. In this spirit we achieve many things, in cooperation and mutual respect«.

Picture no. 1 Opening Ceremony of ISAP 2007

The President of the Association of the Producers of Istrian Ham, Mr. Milan Burši ć said that this encounter with other ham producers from the Mediterranean and southern Europe is a great honour for the Istrian producers as, after years of improvement of their production, they are now ready to compete with others. The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms. Karmen Sinkovi ć, said that ham "is part of our culture and must be preserved with great care". The President of the Istrian region, Mr. Ivan Jakov čić, vested with the function of the special representative of the President of Croatia, Mr. Stjepan Mesi ć, pointed out that support is being given to the ham producers in order to foster a fast transformation of the Istrian villages, economy and tourism as "what is produced or gathered in Istria can be best sold in the glass or plate".

The public could hardly wait for Mr. Romano Božac, the President of the Judging Committee of Experts, to proclaim the winners of the First International fair of Ham. The first Best Ham Award went to the Dalmatian ham produced by the company MEL, owned by Mr. Jakov Lovri ć from Hrvace near Sinj. The runner-up was the ham »Stari Lijan« produced by the company Lijanovi ći from Široki Brijeg in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the second runner-up was the Istrian ham produced by the

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE ham-maker Dujmovi ć from Kringa. The Spanish, with their ham produced by the company Batalla, came fourth.

After the opening ceremony and the winner proclamation protocol, the large tent erected in front of the Town House was opened to numerous visitors and eighteen ham carvers went into action. The hams were arranged on a long stand, and the organisers came up with a clever idea to sell tasting coupons for a certain quantity of ham, which reduced the crowd. Apart from this tasting activity, which left nobody indifferent, various other products were on offer inside the tent: wines from Italian wine- makers and home-made warm dishes with ham – 'pljukanci' (dish of hot pasta in the form of small rolls), 'maneštra' (minestrone) and 'kapuz' (boiled sauerkraut with ham).

Lectures given by experts were being given in the neighbouring tent. Prof. Romano Božac elaborated the production technology of the Istrian ham, giving a large number of details and supporting the lecture with projection of slides. Karmen Sinkovi ć, the Head of the Department of Sustainable Development of Rural Areas with the Ministry of Agriculture gave the lecture on the protection of autochthonous food products which can be issued with the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) or TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed) designations. Also present were Mrs. Marija Uremovi ć who spoke of the production of heavy hogs intended for the production of the Istrian ham, and the Spanish Mr. Marc Martinez, who held a presentation on the production of "Batalla" in Spain. The lectures finished with the presentation given by Melanie Busset of the ham processing plant of San Daniele in Italy and her lecture on politics and territorial strategy.

Picture no. 2. Ham tasting

The International Fair of Ham attracted about a large number of gourmands from all parts of Istria and not only Istria, as well as numerous distinguished guests. Judging from the number of sold coupons, the organisers estimated that during the two days the Fair was visited by about 10,000 people. The total of 110 hams was carved and 250 hams were sold by piece. The Spanish hams were already gone on day one and, unfortunately, many visitors were not able to taste this delicious and exotic Spanish- type ham.

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

The AMAMO stand

It must be pointed out that the AMAMO Project and all its actions are being implemented in cooperation with all other partners, Croatian and Italian. This is the main driving force of the Project whose object is to promote endogenous resources in rural areas of the countries of the Adriatic basin, but also to strengthen the links between these countries so that the cooperation between the littoral Croatian and Italian regions, institutions and associations brings forward the valorisation of traditional gastronomic values in tourism industry. In this sense, the programmes of cooperation should give impetus to mutual education and exchange of typical products in events such as the International fair of Ham at Tinjan, Days of Honey in Pazin, Vinistra in Pore č, the Fair of Typical products of Gorski kotar in Skrad and various similar events being held in Dalmatia and in Italian regions-partners.

Within the set objectives, the Agency for the Rural Development of Istria AZRRI Ltd. implemented its first pilot-event as part of the project aiming to promote the AMAMO products, area and project. The point in question is the AMAMO stand within ISAP 2007.

The AMAMO stand, organised as part of the Tinjan's festival of St. Simon and the International Fair of Ham (ISAP 2007), was the perfect opportunity to promote the Adriatic region, highlighting its culture, tourism, gastronomy and traditions. Also, and given the fact that the Tinjan event was well visited and followed by the media, the AMAMO stand gave us the opportunity to promote the products of the so called „AMAMO Club“

The stand where the AMAMO products of the Adriatic region were presented, was erected in the main tent where hams from various producers were exhibited.

The AMAMO stand featured the following (as brochures, catalogues or products): 1. Tastes of Istria – typical products of the Istrian Region 2. Farm Holidays in Istria –list and detailed description of farm holiday facilities in the Istrian Region 3. Rural Holidays in Istria – presentation of the rural holiday facilities in the Istrian Region. 4. Area and endogenous resources of Gorski kotar – various publications 5. Farm Holidays in the Split and Dalmatia County – detailed description of farm holiday facilities in the Split and Dalmatia County 7. Area and products of the Dolce Nordest Consortium – various publications and tasting of autochthonous products originating from the area of the Consortium (wine, prosciutto, cheese) 8. Other – various promotional leaflets featuring other areas involved in the AMAMO Project

Picture no. 3. Representatives of the AMAMO Project in front of the AMAMO stand

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

Expert Lectures and Ham Judging

An extremely important segment and one of the main objectives of AZRRI was to enable the most needed transfer of experience in the area of quality and product certification to the Istrian ham producers.

In cooperation with INFORMEST and the Project partner Parco San Daniele, AZRRI invited a number of foreign lecturers and judges to use their knowledge and experience to advance the lectures and to answer the producers' questions.

Within ISAP 2007, and in the framework of the AMAMO Project, the following experts were engaged: 1. Andrija Naki ć – Member of the Judging Committee – Croatia 2. Romano Božac – President of the Judging Committee / Lecturer - Croatia 3. Edvard Štavar - Member of the Judging Committee – Slovenia 4. Marc Martinez Marco – Member of the Judging Committee / Lecturer - Spain 5.Roberto Romanello - Member of the Judging Committee– Italy 6. Melania Buset – Lecturer - Italy

It must be noted that the AMAMO Project has greatly contributed to the international character of the Fair and enabled the transfer of knowledge and experience to the local producers.

AMAMO Project Press Conference

The Grant Contract relating to the AMAMO Project was signed on 3 October 2007 by the European Commission and the pilot action organised by AZRRI was a great opportunity to hold the first official press conference aiming to present the AMAMO Project to the general public.

The AMAMO Project was presented in the press conference at Tinjan by Milan Antolovi ć, Head of the Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, Fishery and Water Management Administrative Department of the Istrian Region, Danijela Družeti ć Milanovi ć, Igor Jur čić and Danijel Bertovi ć on behalf of the Istrian partner, and Marino Vocci, Renato Picogna and Massimiliano Rudella, AMAMO Project Manager on behalf of the Italian partner.

12:18 Opening The Conference was opened by Danijela Družeti ć Milanovi ć, International Projects Expert Assistant with the Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, Fishery and Water Management Administrative Department of the Istrian Region. The introduction and the welcoming speech were given by the Head of the Administrative Department, Mr. Milan Antolovi ć.

Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE

12:21 Milan Antolovi ć, Head of the Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, Fishery and Water Management Administrative Department of the Istrian Region Mr. Antolovi ć first welcomed Mrs. Sinkovi ć and all other partners in this international project. He highlighted the valorisation of autochthonous products and said that it of great importance that the AMAMO project joined the Ham Fair - ISAP 2007 He also expressed his pleasure with the arrival of the producers from Italy, Croatia and Spain and explained that the producers from Montenegro were not able to be present due to the regulations banning import of ham from Montenegro. He continued to say that that the Istrian Regions had been cooperating for 6 or 7 years with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management on projects aiming to protect the autochthonous products (protection of the designation of origin of the sausage, bacon, 'ombolo' – dry- cured and smoked pork sirloin, olive oil, muscat wine „Ruža“, cow's milk cheese, sheep's milk cheese, brandy, 'biska' – brandy flavoured with mistletoe and herbs, brandy with honey, Istrian original brandy). Mr. Antolovi ć added that all these products had been protected in accordance with the previously valid laws, but preparation of new studies reflecting the European legislation was ongoing. He concluded by saying how pleased he was that the AMAMO project was finally being implemented and that he believed in its great success.

12:25 Massimiliano Rudella , Project Manager, INFORMEST Expressed his deepest concerns in relation to the difficulties encountered in signing the Grant Contract due to a delay by the Contracting Authority. He also wished to have a presentation of the „AMAMO CLUB“ where autochthonous products from the Adriatic region would be included. He said that the objective of the Project is to have as many participants as possible. In the end he gave floor to Mr. Marino Vocci, the expert from Informest, also the author of the international project AMAMO.

12:32 Marino Vocci , Expert, INFORMEST Mr. Vocci explained that the idea to start this Project was born in the Association of Italians in Buje in the mid-1980's and it was an idea to join the sea and the mountains. Therefore, the objective of the AMAMA Project is to connect areas of diverse cultures, products, landscape and to link territories. The ham was presented as the symbol of the AMAMO Project, as it is not the product of a territory but a product with salt which is obtained from the sea. The objective is to foster the production of ham from the breeding phase to the final production phase.

12:57 Igor Jur čić, International Projects Expert Assistant, AZRRI Ltd. Pazin Welcomed the meeting and spoke of the role of AZRRI in the AMAMO Project and of the implementation of some 15 actions mentioning only the most important ones.

12:59 Danijel Bertovi ć, International Projects Expert Assistant, PINS Skrad Spoke of the implementation of the activities of PINS within the region of Gorski kotar which had been going on for a decade. The objective is to increase the number of small and medium companies which can be promoted through the AMAMO Project. Mr. Bertovi ć invited everyone to the Fair of AMAMO products of Gorski kotar.

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13:15 The Moderator of the press conference, Mrs. Danijela Družeti ć Milanovi ć thanked the journalists for their participation and invited everyone to the tasting of ham and expert lectures after the conference.

Final considerations

Agency for the Rural Development of Istria AZRRI Ltd. Pazin as partner in the AMAMO Project, organized its first innovative event on the basis of Work Package 4 of the Project.

Main objectives set by AZRRI prior to the implementation of the actions were directed towards the promotion of the AMAMO Project, valorisation of autochthonous products, especially Istrian ham, and strengthening of the cross-border cooperation by means of expert lectures.

Strengths and weaknesses of the innovation event „AMAMO stand within the International Fair of Ham at Tinjan - ISAP 2007“ Strengths: • Strong promotion of the AMAMO Project • Excellent synergy of the Fair ISAP 2007 with project objectives • Continuation to the existing certification project of autochthonous products of the Istrian Region.

Weaknesses: • Period between the signing date of the contract with the European Commission and the project implementation date too short. • Budget allocated to this action limited.

The conclusion of AZRRI is that the innovative event under the title „AMAMO stand within the International Fair of Ham at Tinjan - ISAP 2007“, implemented by AZRRI in accordance with Action 4.1. of the AMAMO Project was very successful in spite of the short period between the signing date of the contract with the European Commission and the Action implementation date.

This conclusion is based on the following results: successfully organized expert lectures, well prepared brochure containing the description of the AMAMO Project and list of ham producers, well organized promotional AMAMO stand presenting the AMAMO Project and its products.