The Assembly of the EGTC GO, the decision-making body of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation formed by the municipalities of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba, composed of representatives of the three municipalities, elected the organisation’s new leadership yesterday, 21 September, appointing Vesna Humar as President and Livio Semolič as Vice-President for the next two years.

With these appointments, EGTC GO continues its commitment to the development of the cross-border area, with the aim of further enhancing the results achieved in recent years by building on the experience and expertise of its newly elected leadership.

“It is with great gratitude, but also with a strong sense of responsibility, that I accept this appointment of extraordinary importance. EGTC GO is not only a cornerstone of cross-border cooperation in this area, nor merely an incubator for development projects, but also a model that Europe looks to with great interest. At a time when Europe perhaps needs hope, optimism and confirmation more than ever that European cohesion works, that it concretely and genuinely improves people’s lives. With the renewed committees, EGTC GO is ready for the future. A new programming period is approaching, during which the borderless Gorizia area must continue to be ambitious. The European Capital of Culture is now behind us, while new challenges lie ahead. I am convinced that EGTC GO will continue to successfully improve quality of life, strengthen health, well-being and cohesion among the inhabitants of this wonderful border region,” said the new President of EGTC GO, Vesna Humar.

Since August this year, Vesna Humar has served as a State Councillor of the Republic of Slovenia. From 2022 to 2026 she was State Secretary at the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and Around the World. A graduate in journalism and comparative literature, she dedicated much of her career to journalism and publishing. Between 2019 and 2021, she coordinated the joint bid of Nova Gorica and Gorizia for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025 and was co-author and editor of the bidbook that led to the successful award of the title.

“I was particularly pleased to accept Mayor Ziberna’s proposal to take on the position of Vice-President of EGTC GO, an institution that is especially close to my heart because it brings together the three municipalities of the Gorizia cross-border urban area, and because I have been collaborating with it since its foundation. I am also very pleased to work alongside the new President, Vesna Humar, a person for whom cross-border cooperation is a part of everyday life. I am therefore convinced that we will immediately be on the same wavelength and that we will be able to work successfully in the interest of this territory, where it will be necessary to further develop the spirit of the European Capital of Culture through new projects and the continuous strengthening of coexistence. Furthermore, this position of responsibility is especially meaningful to me as a member of the Slovenian minority in Italy, because for us the role of bridge-builder and unifying force has always been, and continues to be, something natural and almost innate. In this case too, however, I will have to, and we will have to, turn words into concrete actions,” commented Vice-President Semolič.

Livio Semolič, Regional Secretary of the SKGZ (Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union), has been a member of the EGTC GO Assembly since its very first meeting in 2012 and, until now, has also served as coordinator of the EGTC GO Urban Planning Committee. He holds a degree in Political Science and has been active in cultural, sporting and representative bodies of the Slovenian community in Italy. He has worked as a parliamentary assistant in Rome and Brussels and is currently a teacher of legal and economic subjects at secondary schools in Gorizia.

At the same time, the mandate of Paolo Petiziol, who has led EGTC GO since 2021, came to an end. The Assembly expressed its gratitude for his work over these years, marked by the extraordinary experience of Nova Gorica and Gorizia as European Capital of Culture 2025 and the strengthening of cross-border cooperation among the three founding municipalities. An excerpt from his remarks:

“My heartfelt and truly affectionate thanks go to the entire EGTC GO structure, which has consistently demonstrated a desire to grow, remarkable competence and outstanding professionalism. I recommend that the institutions of the three municipalities value it highly, encourage the high level of professionalism it has achieved, and support it in everything it can do for the cross-border territory and for Europe.”

Since its establishment in 2010, EGTC GO has been chaired, in chronological order, by Franco Frattini, Robert Golob, Matej Arčon and Paolo Petiziol.

The Assembly also completed the renewal of the Permanent Committees. At the previous meeting, the committees had been reorganised from seven to five thematic bodies with the aim of making their activities even more consistent with the needs of the territory and the main challenges of cross-border cooperation.

During yesterday’s meeting, the coordinators of the five Permanent Committees were also appointed:

• Transport and Sustainable Mobility Committee: Alessandro Puhali
• Energy, Urban Planning and Environment Committee: Livio Semolič
• Health, Sport and Well-being Committee: Roberta Chersevani
• Education, Training, Universities and Culture Committee: Andrej Šušmelj
• Economy and Tourism Committee: Martina Murovec

The committees represent one of the key operational tools of EGTC GO and ensure the involvement of administrators, technical experts and specialists in developing shared priorities and projects. The appointment of coordinators from among the members of the Assembly also guarantees a constant connection between the technical and decision-making dimensions, strengthening the participatory, bottom-up approach that has always characterised EGTC GO’s work.