It is time for budgets - final and forecast - at the EGTC GO, which convened yesterday the assembly of members, represented by the municipalities of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba. At the meeting, the many projects in the field and future challenges were summarized.

The functioning of the entity is not well known, departing from "traditional" Italian and Slovenian public bodies, but it has a well-defined system of governance and control.

"As our EGTC closes its twelfth year of operation with satisfaction, new Territorial Cooperation Groups continue to emerge in Europe, a sign of the need for public bodies with cross-border expertise for the future of border areas," says President Paolo Petiziol. "The EGTC confirms itself as a valuable structure for the territory, but it is good to remember that it does not act as a private entity, it is subject to all the procedures of public administration."

During the assembly, the Interreg Italy-Slovenia calls for small projects were primarily discussed, as the EGTC GO is the manager of the European fund for the period 2023 - 2026. There are 27 winning cross-border projects from the first notice - launching in early 2024 - while the public body is finalizing the second call, which will open in the early part of the new year.

Regarding the European Capital of Culture, the EGTC GO highlighted the results achieved with respect to the activities under its responsibility, namely the implementation of the GO! 2025 "Borderless wireless" platform - which will be online next week, the tenders related to the redevelopment of the Transalpine Square - which enable the start of the construction site at the beginning of 2024 as planned, the organization of events leading up to GO! 2025 - such as the concerts in the Red House Square - and the support to municipalities in territorial marketing, also on the agenda for 2024.

During the assembly, the EGTC also reported with respect to the informational work done (e.g., through the B-solutions project) to keep national and international attention high on bureaucratic knots that cannot be solved by municipalities alone, such as the establishment of a special legal zone on the border.

Another piece that EGTC GO is completing, together with the three municipalities, with a view to creating a single urban service area for citizens and tourists, is the creation of a cross-border bikesharing network: the project is underway and will be completed within 12 months.

Finally, the authority has invested 2023 resources in building and bidding for new projects, with the aim of channeling resources to the territory in other areas as well in addition to the areas already covered.

"In order to properly manage the Interreg fund and the growing activities related to 2025, EGTC GO has strengthened its structure, through recruitment and stabilization where possible, with the addition of qualified external support where needed. In addition, we are signing conventions with universities to activate internships with students from our area", says director Romina Kocina, "However, human resources are not always sufficient for the growing number of EGTC commitments especially for the European Capital 2025, and a great cooperation with all our institutional partners will be necessary to be able to meet deadlines, commitments and take advantage of all the opportunities created.