The 4th European Meeting of Border Cities took place yesterday in the Council Hall of the EGTC GO headquarters in Gorizia. Organised by the Mitteleuropa Association in cooperation with EGTC GO, the event brought together representatives from eight countries and nine border cities committed to strengthening European cooperation through shared projects and coordinated development strategies.

Alongside the host cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, delegations attended from Cieszyn and Český Těšín, Valga and Valka, Nova Gradiška, Bad Radkersburg and Gornja Radgona.

The first part of the meeting focused on cultural welfare in border areas and was moderated by Marco Marinuzzi, cultural policy expert and external consultant to EGTC GO. Rita Orlando, Director General of the Matera Basilicata 2019 Foundation, opened the session with a presentation on the role of European Capitals of Culture in developing cultural welfare initiatives. Participants then explored projects supported by the GO! 2025 Small Project Fund (SPF): Lorena Pavlič, Director of the Otok Institute, and Antonella Bucovaz, President of Stazioni_Postaje APS, presented the project “Poetry, Memory and Vision for Generative Welfare”, while Antonella Perrucci of Galaxia and Donatella Tomasi of the BE-LINE project showcased the Baskin experience in Gorizia as a model of inclusion, accessibility and social participation through sport.

Ezio Benedetti, EU Projects Coordinator at EGTC GO, then discussed cultural welfare through the “Arts on Prescription” approach, presenting examples of social prescribing already implemented in several European countries and highlighting their potential in cross-border contexts.

The afternoon session, moderated by Professor Moreno Zago of the University of Trieste, focused on the relationship between food, well-being and citizenship. Maurizio Mariani, Director of Eating City, presented the Food Wise initiative aimed at reducing food waste. Professor Saša Dobričić of the University of Nova Gorica explored the theme of edible landscapes in the cross-border area between Gorizia and Nova Gorica, while Professor Sara Basso of the University of Trieste presented the Cross-Border Food Atlas, an initial mapping of production, distribution and consumption networks between Italy and Slovenia designed to strengthen territorial connections and cooperation.

The meeting provided an important opportunity for exchange among cities that, despite belonging to different national and administrative systems, share common challenges related to quality of life, health, social cohesion and sustainable development. Particular attention was given to the role of culture and cross-border cooperation as key tools for generating well-being and creating new opportunities for local communities.