In recent years, regional authorities have been set up in the Maltese Islands to occupy a second tier of government between Local Councils and the central, national institutions. The Gozo Regional Committee groups together the fourteen municipalities of the island of Gozo. In order to learn from the experiences of other countries, the Gozo Region aims to participate in transnational projects that can help it overcome difficulties arising from its “double insularity” and promote the economic development of its territory. It has therefore specifically set up the Gozo Regional Development Foundation (GRDF) to implement European projects. Among these, actions which enhance the island’s rural, environmentally sensitive characteristics, are particularly relevant.

Website: http://www.gozoregion.eu