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
What is an EGTC?
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 for?
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.
Who can participate?
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
How to set up an EGTC
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
Trends
and developments
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
Examples of EGTC
Grande Région



First EGTC to become management authority of a programme
Involves FR, DE, LU, NL, BE
www.interreg4a-gr.eu
Examples of EGTC
Amphictyony

Twinning 53 cities of the Mediterranean

More than 39 non-EU cities associated

www.amphictyony.gr
Examples of EGTC
Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai

Conurbation between Belgium and France, 3 regions, 2
languages, 1.7 Mo inhabitants

www.eurometropolis.eu

Touristic site:
www.visiteurometropolis.eu
Examples of EGTC
Galicia-Norte de Portugal
Big euroregion with more than 20 years
of co-operation History

Projects:

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

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
www.gnpaect.com
Examples of EGTC
Duero-Douro

Rural development: 187 municipalities with an average
population of <500 inhabitants

Projects:

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
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
www.duero-douro.com
Examples of EGTC
West Vlaanderen / Flandre - Dunkerque - Côte
d’Opale

Integration of a highly urbanised border area

Projects:



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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
www.hcerdanya.eu
The CoR
has made
a choice
The EGTC as “preferential instrument for cooperation”
Own-initiative opinion Núñez Feijóo - 2011
Leadership of the CoR

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
Influence on the new legislation

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
New aspects of the Regulation

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
The EGTC Platform


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 www.cor.europa.eu/egtc, social networks
Short and medium term issues

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
… Last reminder
“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
Thank you
Committee of the Regions
Direction of horizontal policies
and networks – Unit E.2
Alfonso Alcolea Martínez
Administrator EGTC & territorial
cooperation
URL: www.cor.europa.eu/egtc
E-mail: egtc@cor.europa.eu
Twitter: @EGTCPlatform
FB group: EGTC