Why is our EGTC special?

Why is our EGTC special?

There are currently more than 70 European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation in Europe. EGTC GO is singled out among the European EGTCs as a unique way of operating and thus attracting much interest from the EU institutions and other organisations. Representatives of EGTC GO are often invited to European events to tell their experience, since EGTC GO is still the first case in Europe where an Integrated Territorial Investment is being carried out on the basis of a joint strategy by a sole beneficiary. Thus, EGTC GO can directly carry out shared projects both in Slovenia and in Italy and can invest across the shared territory of the cities without the constraints of national and administrative borders, which continue to be binding upon the territories within the competence of the three founding municipalities.

When building infrastructure within EU projects, EGTC GO may choose to apply either the Slovenian or the Italian laws on public procurement. The municipal councils of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba have passed a resolution authorising the Assembly of EGTC GO to choose the applicable laws for each call for tenders. Said resolution was also the first to be approved by three municipal councils at a joint session--the first ever in the history of the three cities--and is the foundation for a shared approach to the urban planning of the joint territory.

The actions of EGTC GO are aimed at stimulating economic growth and improving the quality of life to all those living along the border between Slovenia and Italy. Border areas struggle with economic and social disadvantages caused by the border itself, which stymies investments and limits employment opportunities. Pooling together the excellences of the Italian and the Slovenian side, and then integrating the local services, it becomes much easier to efficiently react to the shared challenges and difficulties of the cross-border area. Consequently, public spending may be decreased, public services offered at lower prices and many resources freed up to be used for other purposes.