On March 29, the CEI participated in the Inter-institutional Conference - Annual Meeting of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
The event was attended by Members of the European Parliament, European Commission, representatives of the EU Member States in the Council, Members of the Committee of the Regions and delegates from the 26 already set up EGTCs.
The event focused on the revision of the Regulation on the EGTC for the next programming period 2014-2020, where decision-makers of the EU and other relevant stakeholders had the chance to take part in a dialogue about the EGTC reform and its possible improvements. A specific session was dedicated to the future participation of entities from outside the EU as well as to the legal aspects of involving third countries in this instrument.
The CEI is promoting the EGTC instrument in various EU funded projects (ADRIA-A, SEETAC and ATTAC). In the context of the ADRIA A projects in particular, the CEI as Lead Partner, played a strategic role in paving the way for the establishment of the first Italian – Slovenian EGTC, among three municipalities: one Italian municipality, Gorizia and two Slovenian municipalities, NovaGorica and St.Peter-Vertoiba. In this context, on 2 April the second meeting of this EGTC Assembly, headed by Hon. Franco Frattini, gathered in Gorizia together with the Mayors of these three cities in order to discuss future activities.
EGTC is a European legal instrument designed to facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. EGTC is a legal entity that enables regional and local authorities and other public bodies from different EU Member States to set up cooperation groupings with a legal personality.
