GO! Borderless Square": a special legal zone for Transalpina/Trg Evrope Square.

B-solutions is a project promoted by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and managed by the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) consisting of calls for proposals addressing obstacles to cross-border cooperation. Public authorities of border administrations have the chance to submit information about a legal or administrative obstacle they face when implementing projects in a border area. Successful candidates are assigned support from the European Commission to remove the difficulties which hinder cooperation with the neighbouring country.

The cities of Nova Gorica (SI) and Gorizia (IT) will be the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) for the year 2025. Based on the bid book program GO! 2025, the Trg Evrope – piazza Transalpina square, which is now considered a more peripheral area for the two cities, is going to be the soul of the cultural and artistic program of the conurbation during the ECOC year and for the years before and after that.

The square that is half in Italy and half in Slovenia represents an important point between the two cultures. Since the elimination of the border, it has become a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the two states, and it will become even a more important emblem of unity and connection.

Organizing cultural events on a square that is divided between two states leads to several problems as in different states there are different laws and procedures to know and observe. The obstacles that stand in the way of the concrete implementation of the ambitious project of the joint Capital of culture are above all technical and organizational nature. Currently, there are two different and sometimes incompatible systems of rules to be followed in two different states for the same spot, which leads consequently to a great expense of resources and time.

Above all, complying with both state regulations doubles the administrative work, in contrast with the principle of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The results achieved within the GO! Borderless Square B-solutions project are the following:

• the creation of a vademecum that provides detailed instructions of the procedures to fill-in and the links to the schemes of requests to the public authorities and to their home pages dedicated to the matter. Everyone, from the smallest association to the biggest organisation, can have a clear overview of the necessary steps to take in order to organize an event on the square and make it the focal point of our borderless city.
• A confrontation between the administrative and normative procedures required to implement events in both Italy and Slovenia has started with the help of technicians from both states in order to understand the premises for the definition of an ad-hoc legislative framework in the form of a joint agreement between the competent authorities that will define a simplified model of management of common areas.

Here you can find the instructions and modules for organizing an event in Europe square / Piazza Transalpina, that can also be used more extensively for organising events in Italy and Slovenija:

Instructions for organising events in Slovenia (in slovenian language)

Event organisation forms in Slovenia (in slovenian language)

Instructions for organising events in Slovenia (in italian language)

Event organisation forms in Slovenia (in italian language)

Instructions for organising events in Italy (in slovenian language)

Event organisation forms in Italy (in slovenian language)

Instructions for organising events in Italy (in italian language)

Event organisation forms in Italy (in italian language)