The partners’ meeting of the EGTC-NET project, funded by the Interreg Italy–Austria Programme, took place in Techendorf, on Lake Weissensee (Austria), from 11 to 12 February. Representing the EGTC GO were EU project officer Ezio Benedetti and project manager Nika Durnik.

The meeting programme first included an overview of the state of the art of the EGTC-NET project, with a summary of the activities carried out up to that point and a reflection on the current stage of progress. In this context, communication and visibility aspects were also addressed, through the presentation of the EGTC-NET website and the communication tools developed.

Attention then shifted to WP2, dedicated to governance analysis, with a brief summary of the research carried out by EURAC Research, which served as a preparatory basis for the development of the subsequent Work Packages. This was followed by the presentation of the objectives of WP3 – the focus of GECT GO’s action – centred on the identification of cross-border obstacles, together with the shared methodology adopted and the launch of the obstacle collection process among partners. The meeting concluded with a discussion on the next steps and upcoming activities, focusing on the actions to be undertaken, the planned timeline and the coordination of work in the following phases of the project.

The EGTC-NET project is based on the need to reduce and eliminate cross-border administrative and legal obstacles that affect the functioning of EGTCs. The aim is therefore to create the first sustainable network among five EGTCs within the Interreg Italy-Austria programme area, while also exploring potential solutions to the identified challenges. Among EGTC-NET's strategic objectives is the establishment of a permanent working group to ensure the medium- and long-term sustainability of the solutions adopted, along with the drafting of a joint document analysing the potential impact of the recent Regulation of the European Parliament and Council on the facilitation of cross-border solutions (BRIDGEforEU).

The lead partner of the project is the EGTC Euregio Senza Confini, which will carry out the work together with the project partners Eurac Research, EGTC GO, EGTC Geopark Karawanken, EGTC Euregio Connect, and EGTC Alpine Pearls.