EGTC Overview and State of Play CIVEX Commission meeting Bolzano/Bozen, 8 July 2013 Alfonso Alcolea Committee of the Regions of the EU

What is the EGTC Examples on the ground The new Regulation The EGTC Platform

EGTC - European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation

EGTC – European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation  At the beginning, an idea of the Committee of the Regions  Created by Regulation (EC) 1082/2006  Public entities from different Member States can get together under an entity with European legal personality.  The EGTC has its own organisation, budget and staff.  It may implement programmes and projects of territorial cooperation, with or without EU funding.  Entered into force on 1 August 2007, the Member States adopt national provisions. What is an EGTC?

Missions  Art. 1 (2) “To facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and/or interregional cooperation between its members with the aim of strengthening economic and social cohesion”.  Art 7 (3) Tasks of the EGTC: Implement ETC programmes co-financed by ERDF, ESF or Cohesion Fund Implement ETC projects […] Other specific cooperation actions with EU funding Other cooperation actions without EU funding  Limits: Powers of the State such as police, regulation, justice or foreign affairs. What for?

Who can be a member?  Basically, entities of Public Law (reference to the Directive 2004/18/EC on public procurement) and associations  Participation of entities from third countries:  2 EU Member States needed (minimum 2 EU + 1 non EU)  The third country adopts similar legislation or signs an agreement with the country of seat of the EGTC  The EU Member States involved authorize it Who can participate?

The basic procedure  Registered office  The seat determines the applicable Law  Convention and statutes  Authorisation by the Member States  The Regulation says 3 months  Publication  National journal and OJEU  Notification to the CoR  Launching of the EGTC How to set up an EGTC

Trends and developments

Figures  37 EGTC set up, according to the Register of the CoR +1 pending registration  More than 650 LRA involved  A reality in 19 Member States  Impact on the life of 30 Mo Europeans EGTC trends and developments

 National implementation varies  Only one EGTC implements programmes: ‘Greater Region’  The use of structural funds is not the main object of activity  Although ‘laboratory for multi-level governance’, most of the EGTC group entities of the same level  Main focus on cross-border cooperation  Main areas: Axis Benelux-FR-DE, around HU and Mediterranean  Precedent cooperation started in the 90s.  Need of awareness among LRA, public and EC services EGTC trends and developments

Grande Région  First EGTC to become management authority of a programme  Involves FR, DE, LU, NL, BE  Examples of EGTC

Amphictyony  Twinning 53 cities of the Mediterranean  More than 39 non-EU cities associated  Examples of EGTC

Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai  Conurbation between Belgium and France, 3 regions, 2 languages, 1.7 Mo inhabitants   Touristic site: Examples of EGTC

Galicia-Norte de Portugal Big euroregion with more than 20 years of co-operation History  Projects:  Working plan fostering competitivness and promoting employment.  Transport: Guide, study on interoperativity  Cooperation between technology centres and campuses  Many sectors: Sea, automotive, creative and cultural industries, tourism Examples of EGTC

Duero-Douro  Rural development: 187 municipalities with an average population of <500 inhabitants  Projects:  Econometric model for investments  Goat livestock to prevent forest fires and create jobs  Culture, education: project ‘Conociendonos’  Project ‘tourism vital’  Joint purchase centre: Public lighting for more than 100 municipalities Examples of EGTC

West Vlaanderen / Flandre - Dunkerque - Côte d’Opale  Integration of a highly urbanised border area  Projects:  Interreg IVA project 'Cross-border cooperation‘  Project ‘Coast to coast’ and ‘Tourism without borders’  Public transport and recreational mobility  Health cooperation  Training and employment  Cross-border GIS  Culture Examples of EGTC

Cerdanya cross-border hospital  Service to 60,000 inhabitants in the Pyrenees  Examples of EGTC

The CoR has made a choice The EGTC as “preferential instrument for cooperation” Own-initiative opinion Núñez Feijóo

 CoR Opinions of Bresso (2008), Núñez Feijóo (2011), Delebarre (2012), and two consultations (2010 and 2012)  Remove bureaucratic obstacles  Harmonize national implementation  Use the EGTC beyond regional policy  Strategy Europe 2020, mainstream all EU policies  Awareness needed at all levels  Participation of non-EU countries Leadership of the CoR

 Ambitious proposal of the EC (Oct 2011)  Inter-institutional conference 29/03/2012  Fast-track the EGTC  The EP-REGI assumed the amendments proposed by the CoR on 11/07/2012  Debate about the EGTC in the future cohesion policy  OPEN DAYS 2012  Political agreement of the Council on 20/02/2013  Inter-institutional trilogue  March-May 2013, CoR invited Influence on the new legislation

 Approved tacitly after 6 months.  Main document to be approved will be the convention.  Clarification on the legal situation of the staff of the EGTC  CoR wanted to create groupings in the fields of health, education and vocational training (even if entities are private)  3rd countries will be able to get involved in EGTCs, including neighbors of outermost regions and territories  The CoR will maintain its role of register of the EGTCs New aspects of the Regulation

 The Platform groups all players in EGTC and cross-border Coordinator: Mr Herwig Van Staa (AT/EPP) Monitoring  Study ‘EGTC Monitoring Report’ Assistance and support Political input  Face-to-face communication: Annual meeting  25/02/2013 Open Days  8/10/2013 Portal social networkswww.cor.europa.eu/egtc The EGTC Platform

 How will the Member States implement the new Regulation?  How will the new generation of EGTCs look like?  Governance of the EGTCs  Participation of the civil society  Participation in the Operational Programmes  EGTCs implementing new instruments  ITI, CLLD, JAP...  EGTCs and macro-regions  Mainstreaming the EGTC in other EU policies  Events with DG Move and DG Enterprise  Next event with DG Markt on 9 October  Visibility  EGTC award Short and medium term issues

“Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity”. Declaration Schuman – 9 May 1950 … Last reminder

Thank you Committee of the Regions Direction of horizontal policies and networks – Unit E.2 Alfonso Alcolea Martínez Administrator EGTC & territorial cooperation URL: FB group: EGTC