A two-day cooperation forum Europe, Let’s Cooperate! 2024, organized by the Interreg Europe Programme, took place in March 2024 in Antwerp. The forum celebrated its milestone 10th anniversary of a decade of collaboration.
During the plenary session, reflections on the accomplishments of Interreg Europe over its 20-year existence were shared. Mr Slawomir Tokarski, DG Regio, European Commission, described interregional cooperation as a capacity to learn and inspire others, emphasizing the importance of willingness, open-mindedness, and readiness to adapt to change. (Tokarski 2024.)
Currently, there are 150 ongoing Interreg Europe co-funded projects, connecting nearly 1500 various partners from 28 European countries. So far, over 3200 expert-validated good practices have been identified, and over 500 publications published, such as policy briefs, editorials, and reports. Additionally, the forum highlighted the organization of over 180 policy-learning events, 73 peer reviews, and 44 matchmaking sessions. (Interreg Europe 2024.)
Post-2027 Cohesion Policy
Looking ahead to post-2027, the future of Interreg Europe will be shaped by the evolving priorities of the European Union, the needs of European regions, and the outcomes of negotiations regarding the EU budget and post-2027 cohesion policy framework. Mr. John Bachtler, Director of the European Policy and Research Centre, shared insights on the future of EU Cohesion Policy based on the recently published report, Forging a Sustainable Future Together – Cohesion for a Competitive and Inclusive Europe. (Bachtler 2024.)
The independent report explores the possibilities of improving the effectiveness of Cohesion Policy in promoting economic, social, and territorial development across the EU. The policy needs to address new challenges, such as the climate crisis, the digital revolution, global competition, and demographic change. The focus remains on mobilizing untapped economic potential, promoting equality of opportunities, and strengthening collaboration with other EU policies. Cohesion Policy should adopt a place-based, transformative and dynamic approach, streamline administrative procedures, and support enlargements of future Member States, while ensuring investment in current EU regions. (Bachtler 2024; European Union 2024, 4-7).
The forum also announced the opening of its 3rd call for proposals, inviting participants to contribute their innovative ideas and projects towards furthering cooperation and progress across Europe. For the first time, 36 countries (previously 28) are now eligible to participate.
The conference served as a lively forum for discussions, workshops, and networking. In the Zoom-in sessions, three LAB representatives shared their firsthand experiences with the audience. Katerina Medkova described what is it like to be a peer in the Peer Review for Noord-Brabant. Marjut Villanen introduced the new project CLIMATEGO, while Aino Vepsäläinen shared insights into the DeCo project, both of which are led by LAB.
Joint forces and connections of the Interreg Europe member states enable to build, exchange and transfer of the missing capacities and competences, supporting the EU Cohesion Policy.
Author
Katerina Medkova works as an RDI Specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and is the CITISYSTEM Project Manager. CITISYSTEM – Supporting cities in sustainable biobased systemic change is an Interreg Europe co-funded project led by LAB University of Applied Sciences, Finland.
References
Bachtler, J. 2024. Expert view. Presentation given at the Europe, Let’s Cooperate! 2024 forum on 20 Mar 2024, Antwerp.
European Union. 2024. Forging a sustainable future together – Cohesion for a competitive and inclusive Europe – Report of the High-Level Group on the Future of Cohesion Policy. European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy. Cited 2 Apr 2024. Available at https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/974536
Interreg Europe. 2024. Policy Learning Platform: policy advice, knowledge sharing and networking. Speech given at the Europe, Let’s Cooperate! 2024 forum on 22 Mar 2024, in Antwerp.
Tokarski, S. 2024. Celebrating the power of interregional cooperation. Speech given at the Europe, Let’s Cooperate! 2024 forum on 20 Mar 2024, Antwerp.
Links
Link 1. Interreg Europe. 2023. Project Summary. CITISYSTEM. Cited 2 Apr 2024. Available at https://www.interregeurope.eu/citisystem
