Project acronym: BorderLabs CE  

Title: Participatory cross-border governance for transition management in central European cross-border regions 

Programme priority: A better cooperation governance 

Programme: Interreg Central Europe 

Project duration (nr. of months): 30 months, from 01/06/2024 to 30/11/2026 

Total budget: 1.710.608,72 € 

Project partners:  

1. LP Saxon State Ministry for Regional Development - Deutschland (DE)  
2. Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives - Magyarország (HU) 
3. Dolnoslaskie Region – Institute for Territorial Development - Polska (PL)  
4. Euroregion Nisa - Česko (CZ) 
5. City of Frankfurt (Oder) - Deutschland (DE) 
6. European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation - EGTC GO Italia (IT)  
7. Ister-Granum European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation Ltd. - Magyarország (HU) 
8. European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation NOVUM - Polska (PL) 
9. State Government of Upper Austria - Österreich (AT) 

Project summary:  

As well in comparative perspective within the EU, there is need to enhance the capacity of local and regional administrations in cross-border functional areas in central Europe to properly manage crossborder integration processes, adequately addressing civil communities’ needs. To address this issue, the partners of BorderLabs CE teamed up to a) thematise and valorise cross-border functional ties, b) spread the practices of cross-border strategic planning, c) enhance cross-border participatory governance and d) manage cross-border obstacles. All partners are very experienced in cross-border cooperation, including some of the most ambitious and interesting approaches of cross-border governance followed in central European space. 

The project is structured into two main work packages. Within the project new governance models, pilot actions and solutions in the fields of integrated cross-border strategy development, participatory governance, cross-border development of sustainable and slow tourism, cross-border marketing of local products and reduction of border obstacles will be piloted and evaluated, and transnational learning and exchange will be implemented.  Moreover, there will be a constant transfer of knowledge within the partnership. All results and findings will be made available for the central European cross-border cooperation community (and beyond), enabling the transferring and mainstreaming of solutions at a transnational level. 

The EGTC GO, in particular, will implement a pilot action on the thematic of Cross-border development of sustainable and slow tourism. The aim of the pilot activity is to develop a model on cross-border development of sustainable and slow tourism, integrating the peri-urban and surrounding neighborhoods of Gorizia-Nova Gorica with the twin-city. The EGTC GO's strategic goal is to exploit the high visibility of the European Capital of Culture(ECoC) 2025, providing a long-term benefit to the entire border area with 27 Italian and 13 Slovenian municipalities, and developing a type of tourism based on sustainability for this area, which is rich in attractive natural sights. To implement the pilot activity, the layout of an extended cross-border bike network incl. public bike sharing (expanding the existing urban system of public bike sharing) as well as corresponding investment needs will be analysed. To support decision-making and priorisation of measures, a network of movable bike counters will be installed and applied for the mapping of cycling flows in the cross-border region. In parallel, the feasibility of cross-border implementation of sustainable accommodation will be evaluated. This evaluation aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the specific strategies and requirements necessary to develop an integrated cross-border model of sustainable tourism in the area. Basing on a participatory process that involves and activates local, regional and national stakeholders, tourism organisations and interested service providers, the final result of the pilot activity will be a consolidated and integrated model for cross-border development of sustainable and slow tourism, that will bring sustainable, decentralized tourism based on bike mobility closer to less-known places, which are rich in cultural and natural heritage with unspoilt landscapes. 

Within the partnership, the IRT, ER Nisa and EGTC NOVUM will actively support the implementation of the pilot activity, contributing with expertise and experiences from the ECoC 2016 Wrocław, regional cycling policies and development of tourism in (peripheral) border areas. The Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the Office for the Promotion of Green Transition of the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy will be involved as associated partners, contributing with their knowledge and expertise.