Gorizia and Nova Gorica hosted the kick-off meeting of CENTRAdapt, a new European project coordinated by an international partnership that also includes EGTC GO, on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October. Funded under the Interreg Central Europe 2021-2027 programme, the initiative aims to strengthen the climate resilience of border regions through shared tools and strategies.

Already announced by EGTC GO in August, the project has now officially entered its operational phase. For the kick-off meeting, partners from across Central Europe gathered in the cross-border area: the E-institute – Institute for Comprehensive Development Solutions from Ptuj (Slovenia), the Foundation for Landscape Protection from Jelenia Góra (Poland), the Hochschule München - University of Applied Sciences from Munich (Germany), iiSBE Italia R&D S.r.l. – I.S. from Turin (Italy), the Association of Development and Regional Cooperation “Olza” from Cieszyn (Poland), and the EGTC Alpine Pearls from Weissensee (Austria).

The opening meeting, hosted at the GO! Center in Gorizia, provided an opportunity for partners to introduce themselves and begin discussions on the activities planned for the next two years. Projects to be capitalised on and the needs of the pilot territories were presented and discussed.

CENTRAdapt aims to establish a Central European Cross-Border Climate Adaptation Alliance, building on existing experiences and adapting them to border regions. The objective is to provide local administrations and communities with practical methods to jointly address extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.

With a duration of 24 months, from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2028, and a total budget of €1,103,200, including €100,800 allocated to EGTC GO, the project will develop the CENTRAdapt Method. This solution will bring together experiences and tools developed through the Mission CE Climate, SuPeRBE, INACO, and Central Mountains projects.

The methodology will be tested in three pilot areas: the Gorizia-Nova Gorica cross-border area, the Cieszyn/Těšín region on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic, and the Alpine territory represented by EGTC Alpine Pearls. The results of the pilot phase will contribute to the final version of the method and support the development of two cross-border adaptation plans, as well as a strategy dedicated to Alpine border regions. The project also includes stakeholder engagement activities, workshops, awareness-raising initiatives, and practical guidance for citizens.

For Gorizia and Nova Gorica, CENTRAdapt further strengthens the area's role as a European laboratory of cross-border cooperation and supports the development of shared public policies.