On Wednesday, November 7, the assembly of the EGTC GO met again, with a new formation of representatives appointed by the founding municipalities (Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba).

At the meeting, the EGTC GO focused on the objectives achieved and those still to be achieved in view of 2025, the year of the European Capital of Culture.

In November 2022, the two ITI Isonzo-Soča and Salute-Zdravstvo projects ended, which led to the cross-border area of the three EGTC GO municipalities, total funding of 10 million.

As part of the ITI Isonzo-Soča project, the three municipalities of the EGTC GO acquired a new network of cycle and pedestrian paths, a parking space for campers and the footbridge over the Soča. Interventions that will have a great tourist impact on the area, certainly attracting the many nature and two-wheel enthusiasts from other countries as well, attracted not only by the splendid landscape in which the routes are set but also by the extraordinary historical context in which they are inserted which make them very suggestive.

And this is precisely the objective from which the project started which led to the development of a strategic plan for the enhancement of the Isonzo-Soča cross-border natural park developed first of all from an integrated study of the cross-border area of the EGTC GO to identify the key potential at the tourist level.

The Salute-Zdravstvo project has also left a strong imprint on the cross-border territory, both from an infrastructural point of view and from the point of view of acquiring new knowledge and new collaborations, which have benefited the professionals of all three municipalities and health and social care. It was possible to start new activities aimed at pregnant women, children with autism, people with mental health problems and for the most vulnerable groups as part of social inclusion activities.

And it was also thanks to the ITI Salute-Zdravstvo project, funded under the Interreg Italy-Slovenia 2014-2020 Programme, that the EGTC GO achieved great recognition in Europe. The jury of the European Committee of the Regions (the CoR is the assembly of local and regional representatives of the European Union with an advisory function to the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament on all matters that may have repercussions at regional or local level) has awarded to the EGTC GO the EGTC Awards 2022 "Building Europe across borders". This is a recognition that the CoR delivers every two years to give visibility to the best practices of the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) in Europe.

The project attracted the interest of the jury due to its strong cross-border impact in the field of public health and health services, especially for the most vulnerable groups.

“Once again the synergy between the Municipalities of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba are indicated by Europe as a model to follow - comments the president of the EGTC GO, Paolo Petiziol - and this can only fill us with pride and push us with even more energy and enthusiasm to keep going. We should all feel proud of what the communities along this border have managed to do, overcoming the tragedies and sufferings of the past and coming together to prepare a better future for the younger generations. Thanks to all the administrations and mayors who have followed one another in the three Municipalities who have been able to work together for the good of their people".

The EGTC GO is now preparing for a new great challenge, that of Nova Gorica-Gorizia European Capital of Culture 2025 for which it will be necessary to increase the workforce and standardize the graphic image with that of GO!2025. The new logo was also presented to the EGTC GO Assembly.

Furthermore, the first call for small projects financed under the Small Project Fund (SPF - instrument financed by the Interreg VI A Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027 Program) will soon be launched, which will allow the launch of new initiatives to support the European Capital.