Implementing EU policies requires cooperation. Territorial strategies make cooperation easier.

All EU countries are part of one or more territorial strategies. These strategies help countries focus their efforts and lower the threshold for transnational cooperation. This week, the European Commission brought together key stakeholders of the eight strategies and initiatives in Brussels. A warm thank you to Commissioner Costas Kadis for your opening speech and Director Generals Themis Christophidou and Charlina Vitcheva for your insightful closing remarks! Your presence at the event sends a powerful message about the appreciation for the place-based approach in the EU.

Highlights from the discussions on and off the stage:

There were shared concerns in the room regarding the next EU budget period. Now is the time to step up and advocate for the strategies and make sure that in the final Multiannual Financial Framework, the place-based approach is visible and has sufficient resources to act.
Close cooperation with transnational Interreg programmes, particularly in the programming phase, is essential for the strategies. It was very valuable to have so many representatives from the Interreg secretariats joining the event. Strategies and funding programmes are complementary to each other in their work. Strategies offer, for instance, continuity between the projects and support the dissemination of project outcomes.