EGTCs have contributed to the creation of services and projects that would hardly have existed without them. Yet, it is precisely where cooperation is most intensive that new administrative, regulatory and institutional obstacles emerge, requiring responses at both national and European level. These issues were at the heart of the international conference “EGTCs: Experiences and Perspectives for Cross-Border Cooperation”, held in Gorizia on 30 October. The event brought together representatives of institutions, academia and territorial cooperation bodies to take stock of the role of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) and the opportunities offered by the new European regulation BRIDGEforEU.

Organised by the EGTC GO, the EGTC Euregio Senza Confini, CNR ISTeG (formerly CNR ISSIRFA) and Eurac Research, the conference provided an important opportunity for dialogue among researchers, public administrators and territorial cooperation experts. The aim was to explore the contribution of EGTCs to the development of border areas and to reflect on the tools needed to address future challenges.

The day opened with the session entitled “EGTCs in Italy: Experiences and Challenges”, moderated by Roberto Louvin (University of Trieste). The session focused on the presentation of the volume European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation in Italy (CNR Edizioni), produced through the collaboration between the Department for Regional Affairs and Autonomies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, CNR ISTeG, Eurac Research and the Polytechnic University of Turin. The publication represents the first systematic study dedicated to EGTCs with Italian participation and offers an up-to-date overview of an instrument that has assumed an increasingly important role in territorial cooperation policies in recent years.

Presenting the results of the research, Sara Parolari (Eurac Research) illustrated the legal foundations of EGTCs and the methodology used to develop a classification of the various Italian experiences, highlighting how these bodies operate at the intersection of European law, national legislation and internal regulations. Raffaella Coletti (CNR ISTeG) then presented the study’s main findings, focusing on the diversity of existing models, the common challenges faced by different territorial realities, and the role of EGTCs as instruments supporting territorial development and cohesion.

The subsequent roundtable brought together Alice Valdesalici (Eurac Research), Giulio Salerno (CNR ISTeG), Sandra Sodini (EGTC Euregio Senza Confini), Romina Kocina (EGTC GO) and Sergio Zilli (University of Trieste), who discussed the strengths and weaknesses of EGTCs in light of the experience gained over recent years. Among the issues highlighted was the role of EGTCs as tools capable of generating concrete services and opportunities for local territories, alongside the need to strengthen their institutional recognition, operational capacity and regulatory framework. Several speakers stressed that EGTCs are a means rather than an end, and that their value lies in their ability to respond to territorial needs and transform cooperation into tangible results for citizens and public administrations.

The discussion also underscored the importance of the relationships built over time among institutions and local communities. In particular, EGTC GO Director Romina Kocina referred to the experience developed in the cross-border area of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, recalling the path that, through strategic projects and participatory initiatives, helped consolidate local cooperation, eventually leading to GO! 2025 and the Small Projects Fund. “Our hope,” commented Kocina, “is that in the future the role of EGTCs will be progressively strengthened, enabling them to become stable implementing bodies rather than merely experimental laboratories, capable of operating continuously beyond individual programming periods.”

The afternoon session, moderated by Moreno Zago (University of Trieste), focused on the opportunities opened up by the new European BRIDGEforEU regulation and on the BE-EGTC and EGTC-NET projects. The session opened with presentations by Gabriella Saputelli (CNR ISTeG) and Ezio Benedetti (EGTC GO), who outlined the new European regulatory framework and the process leading to the establishment of the first prospective Italian Cross-Border Focal Point in the cooperation area between Italy, Slovenia and Austria.

The concluding roundtable featured Loris Servillo (Polytechnic University of Turin, FULL Centre), Elisa Bertò (Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euregio EGTC), Michael Luther (Eurac Research) and Leopoldo Coen (University of Udine). The discussion focused on the obstacles that continue to limit cross-border cooperation, possible approaches to implementing the BRIDGEforEU regulation, and the role that future cross-border coordination points could play in identifying and resolving issues reported by citizens, businesses and public authorities.

Among the topics that emerged most strongly were the administrative fragmentation that characterises many border regions, institutional and regulatory asymmetries between Member States, and the difficulty of transforming project-based achievements into stable and lasting solutions. Several speakers also pointed out that as cooperation deepens, new obstacles inevitably become visible, making even clearer the need for permanent mechanisms dedicated to identifying and removing them.

A common message throughout the day concerned the evolving role of EGTCs within the European landscape. No longer merely instruments of cooperation, they are increasingly becoming actors capable of fostering territorial integration processes, creating shared services, facilitating dialogue between different institutional levels, and contributing concretely to the development of solutions for citizens and communities living in border regions. In this context, the new framework established by BRIDGEforEU represents an important opportunity to further strengthen the role of EGTCs and to address more systematically the obstacles that still hinder the full development of European cross-border cooperation.