Yesterday, the Assembly of the EGTC GO - European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation formed by representatives of the Municipalities of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba took place in the meeting room of the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba.

The Assembly unanimously approved the final balance sheet 2024, confirming the key role of EGTC GO in coordinating joint initiatives between the three founding municipalities. The year just ended represented a decisive milestone on the path towards the European Capital of Culture 2025, with numerous projects launched, concluded or under development, and a significant impact at local, national and European level.

The 2024 budget closes with solid results: the costs of the structure, amounting to approximately 8.9% of the total, were almost entirely covered by the founding municipalities, while for every euro invested in the structure, more than 11 euros were activated in projects, confirming the management efficiency of the organisation. Among the most important achievements is the completion on schedule of the redevelopment of Transalpine Square/Trg Evrope, the symbolic site of the European Capital of Culture, whose works were completed in January 2025, allowing the official opening of GO! 2025 on 8 February 2025. The project for the enhancement of the entire cross-border strip continues: executive design is currently underway and the construction site is scheduled to start in early 2026, to avoid interference with the events at Transalpina/Trg Evrope Square during 2025.

The management of the Small Project Fund GO! 2025, within the framework of the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Programme, is also continuing successfully: 56 projects are currently being financed in the first and second calls. The publication of the last call is expected in 2025, with an expected budget of EUR 1 million. The entire process was accompanied by workshops, meetings and technical support to ensure the quality and proper reporting of the projects.

A central tool for communication and participation is the digital platform go2025.eu, which in 2024 alone recorded over 333,000 views and more than 70,000 unique users. Thanks to intensive participatory design work with more than 15 territorial stakeholders, the platform integrates tourist maps, events, press areas, interactive forms and content in three languages. Further new features have already been adopted in 2025, including a simplified webapp and a webtv for the widespread promotion of the territory and events.

On the promotional front, the EGTC GO strengthened its institutional presence by participating in major trade fairs and conferences in 2024, such as ITB Berlin, Vinitaly, the Turin Book Fair, the Frankfurt Book Fair, Barcolana and Smart City Expo. Official launch events and meetings with cross-border stakeholders were designed and co-organised. The GO! 2025 visual identity campaign covered numerous locations in the cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica with flags, branded kits, street furniture and public transport.

The EGTC GO has also actively participated in numerous European projects, both as lead partner and as partner: from strengthening cross-border climate resilience (Connect), to participatory cultural governance (BorderLabs CE), to financial education for young people (FLIP), to overcoming administrative obstacles in border territories (EGTC Net). The organisation has also contributed to the support for Pordenone's candidature as Italian Capital of Culture 2027 and has initiated strategic relations with Agrigento 2025.