The 11th EGTC Platform was held in Innsbruck

The annual meeting of the EGTCs took place in Innsbruck, Austria, between 30 September to 1 October, organized by the Committee of the Regions in cooperation with the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino EGTC and the Province of Tyrol in the Austrian-Italian border region. Our colleague, Roland Hesz, also took part in the series of events in person.

The opening day of the event was organized in the Hofburg Imperial Palace, where the introductory music was provided by the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of Tyrol and then the film “The first ten years: EGTC European Region
Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino” was screened. The opening speeches were given by Günther Platter, Governor of Land Tirol and president of the European Region
Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, Arno Kompatscher, Governor of the Autonomous Province of Bozen/South Tyrol, Maurizio Fugatti, Governor of the Autonomous Province of Trento and Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions. After the gala dinner, the professional part of the meeting continued the next day. The greeting was given by Matthias Fink, Secretary General of the EGTC European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, followed by the following thematic blocks:

• Cross-border, interregional and transnational cooperation; Developments at the EU level
• EGTC Platform welcomes new EGTCs
• Ceremony of foundation of the EGTC Euregio Connect (AT-IT)
• Best practices of EGTCs in the European Union
• Debate on the future of cross-border cooperation
• Network of Regional and Local EU Councillors
• EGTC Platform Work Programme

At the event, COVID-19 pandemic’s effects and border closures were a very current topic of concern to all, with a special panel dedicated to their discussion. In addition to the challenges, the speakers also tried to share good practices related to this with the audience. Pascal Boijmans (DG Regio) highlighted the European Cross-Border Citizens’ Alliance as an “organization” with which the DG would work closely in the implementation of INTERREG, as well as the b-solutions project as an important initiative for overcoming legal and administrative obstacles.

Furthermore, various EGTCs also presented their new initiatives, such as the GO EGTC, which has set up a governance model to manage joint World Heritage applications. The Tyrolean EGTC has decided to develop cross-border CLLD strategies. The Euroregion Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Euskadi-Navarra EGTC has taken steps to show the consequences of the border closure to decision-makers and politicians (brochures, photos, reports have been issued). The Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean EGTC has set up a COVID Fund, which is essentially a complex recovery plan.

The Committee of the Regions has recently adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to put forward a proposal to maintain cross-border cooperation and life in the event of future crises. The resolution contains a number of proposals to improve cross-border cooperation and calls on the Commission to monitor existing legislation and treaties, the implementation of which can often be improved. The resolution also emphasized the need to improve and enhance cross-border public services, stressing the need for cross-border structures such as EGTCs to play a greater role in the management of cross-border areas.

The recordings of the event can be watched back through the links below: